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EX  LIBR1S  MICHAEL  E HENNESSY 


First  Across  the  Continent 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2016  with  funding  from 
Boston  Library  Consortium  Member  Libraries 


https://archive.org/details/firstacrosscontiOObroo_O 


Lewis’s  First  Glimpse  of  the  Rockies 


First 

Across  the  Continent 


THE  STORY  OF 

7 he  Exploring  Expedition  of  Lewis 
and  Clark  in  1 8oj—p.—g 


By  Noah  Brooks 


BOSTON  COLLEGE  LIBRARY 
CHESTNUT  HILL,  MASS, 


New  York 

Charles  Scribner’s  Sons 
1901 


Copyright , iqoi 


By  Charles  Scribner’s  Sons 

rsn  ,i 


Published  October , IQO I 


53910 


UNIVERSITY  PRESS  • JOHN  WILSON 
AND  SON  • CAMBRIDGE,  U.S.A. 


Preface 


THE  story  of  the  expedition  of  Lewis  and  Clark  is 
one  of  surpassing  interest.  These  men,  with  their 
faithful  followers,  were  the  first  white  men  who  crossed  the 
continent  of  North  America  between  the  regions  occupied 
by  the  Spanish  and  those  of  the  people  of  English  descent. 
They  were  the  first  to  explore  the  valleys  of  the  Upper 
Missouri,  the  Yellowstone,  and  the  Columbia  and  its  tribu- 
taries. Many  of  the  red  men  who  inhabited  those  pathless 
wildernesses  looked  for  the  first  time  on  pale-faces  when 
they  saw  these  adventurous  discoverers. 

The  narrative  of  this  expedition,  official  and  personal, 
has  lived  through  many  vicissitudes.  Taking  no  account 
of  the  messages  to  Congress,  sent  in  by  President  Jefferson 
and  giving  some  account  of  the  doings  of  Lewis  and  Clark 
(and  subsequently  used  as  a basis  for  other  and  apocry- 
phal publications),  the  first  authoritative  narrative  of  the 
expedition  was  not  published  until  1814,  although  the 
expedition  occupied  parts  of  the  years  1804-5-6,  and  the 
public  demand  for  the  story,  both  in  this  country  and  in 
Europe,  had  already  stimulated  the  production  of  many 
versions,  more  or  less  fraudulent  and  imperfect.  The 
tale  of  trials  and  disappointments  attending  the  first  publi- 


VI 


Preface 


cation  of  this  remarkable  book  is  one  of  many  of  the  his- 
tories of  struggling  book-making  and  authorship.  The 
author  and  editor  of  that  first  work  was  Nicholas  Biddle, 
of  Philadelphia,  and  it  was  finally  given  to  the  world  with 
the  name  of  Paul  Allen  on  its  titlepage  as  editor. 

This  edition  was  republished  in  London,  Dublin,  Ger- 
many, Holland,  New  York,  and  Paris  during  years  ensuing. 
Altogether,  there  have  been  about  forty  imprints  of  the 
story  of  the  Lewis  and  Clark  expedition.  The  two  latest  of 
these  are  those  of  Harper  and  Brothers,  edited  by  Archi- 
bald M’Vickar,  and  published  in  1847  1 and  that  edited  by 
Dr.  Elliott  Coues,  and  published  by  Francis  P.  Harper, 
New  York,  1893.  Dr.  M’Vickar’s  work  is  long  since  out  of 
print.  That  of  Dr.  Coues,  comprised  in  four  volumes  and 
limited  to  an  edition  of  one  thousand  copies,  can  now  be 
obtained  with  difficulty  and  at  considerable  expense.  It 
is  hoped  that  the  present  version  of  the  story  of  the  expe- 
dition, told  as  fully  as  possible  in  the  language  of  the 
heroic  men  who  modestly  penned  the  record  of  their  own 
doings  and  observations,  will  be  acceptable  to  many  read- 
ers, especially  to  young  folks,  who  will  here  read  for  the 
first  time  a concise  narrative  of  the  first  exploring  expedi- 
tion sent  into  a wilderness  destined  to  become  the  seat  of 
a mighty  empire. 

The  author  and  editor  of  these  pages  is  indebted  for 
suggestions  in  the  footnotes  written  by  Dr.  Coues,  a gen- 
tleman whose  wide  experience  as  an  explorer  of  the  West 


Preface 


Vll 


and  as  naturalist,  military  man,  and  geologist  admirably 
fitted  him  for  the  laborious  task  which  he  imposed  upon 
himself  and  which  he  performed  with  painstaking  fidelity. 
And  it  may  be  added  that  the  author-editor  of  the  present 
volume,  having  been  himself  an  early  pilgrim  across  the 
great  plains,  has  been  able  to  add  a little  to  the  notes 
which  now  appear  to  be  needful  to  the  full  understanding 
of  the  narrative  of  Lewis  and  Clark’s  expedition. 


Contents 


Chapter  Page 

I.  A Great  Transaction  in  Land i 

II.  Beginning  a Long  Journey 6 

III.  From  the  Lower  to  the  Upper  River  ....  14 

IV.  Novel  Experiences  among  the  Indians  ...  23 

V.  From  the  Tetons  to  the  Mandans 33 

VI.  Winter  among  the  Mandans 46 

VII.  From  Fort  Mandan  to  the  Yellowstone  . . 57 

VIII.  In  the  Haunts  of  Grizzlies  and  Buffalo  . . 67 

IX.  In  the  Solitudes  of  the  Upper  Missouri  . . 80 

X.  To  the  Great  Falls  of  the  Missouri  ....  97 

XI.  In  the  Heart  of  the  Continent no 

XII.  At  the  Sources  of  the  Missouri 137 

XIII.  From  the  Minnetarees  to  the  Shoshonees  . . 149 

XIV.  Across  the  Great  Divide 165 

XV.  Down  the  Pacific  Slope 183 

XVI.  Down  the  Columbia  to  Tidewater 201 

XVII.  From  Tidewater  to  the  Sea 220 

XVIII.  Camping  by  the  Pacific 235 

XIX.  With  Faces  turned  Homeward 253 

XX.  The  Last  Stage  of  the  Columbia 266 


X 


Contents 


Chapter 

XXI.  Overland  East  of  the  Columbia 

XXII.  Camping  with  the  Nez  Perces 

XXIII.  Crossing  the  Bitter  Root  Mountains  . . . . 

XXIV.  The  Expedition  Subdivided 

XXV.  Adventures  on  the  Yellowstone 

XXVI.  The  End  of  a Long  Journey 


Pagb 

2 77 
295 

305 

312 

327 

342 


List  of  Illustrations 

Lewis’s  First  Glimpse  of  the  Rockies  ....  Froyitispiece 
Drawn  by  F.  C.  Yohn. 

FACING  PAGE 

Portraits  of  Lewis  and  Clark i 

From  originals  in  Independence  Hall,  Philadelphia. 

Before  and  after  Civilization 26 

Drawn  by  George  Catlin. 

“ Black  Moccasin  ” 46 

Drawn  by  George  Catlin. 

A Mandan  Village 54 

Drawn  by  George  Catlin. 

Decoying  Elk  with  a Handkerchief 70 

Drawn  by  George  Catlin. 

Indians  disguised  as  Buffaloes . 88 

Drawn  by  George  Catlin. 

Drawing  of  a Cache  . . . . . . 98 

White  Bear  Portage no 

From  Clark’s  original  survey. 

A Grizzly  Bear 120 

Drawn  by  A.  B.  Frost. 

Beaver  Dams,  Smith’s  River . - . . 134 


List  of  Illustrations 


xii 

FACING  PAGE 

Shoshonee  Implements 146 

From  Schoolcraft's  “ Red  Men  of  America  ” 

Buffalo  Hunt 178 

Drawn  by  George  Catlin. 

Indian  Vapor  Baths 188 

Drawn  by  George  Catlin. 

Indian  Offerings  to  the  Dead 202 

From  Schoolcraft’s  “Red  Men  of  America.” 

Flattening  a Chinook  Baby’s  Head 212 

Drawn  by  George  Catlin. 

Multnomah  Falls,  Columbia  River 222 

Elk 236 

Falls  of  the  Columbia 262 

From  Clark’s  original  survey. 

Lewis  in  Indian  Dress 290 

Drawn  by  St  Memin. 

Buffaloes  at  Drinking-Place 300 

Drawn  by  Ernest  Seton-Thompson. 

A Group  of  Buffaloes 318 

Drawn  by  Ernest  Seton-Thompson. 

A Big  Horn  Pasturage 338 

Drawn  by  Ernest  Seton-Thompson. 

Buffaloes  on  the  Plains 352 


Drawn  by  Ernest  Seton-Thompson 


First  Across  the  Continent 


Portraits  of  Lewis  and  Clark 


First  Across  the  Continent 


Chapter  I 

A Great  Transaction  in  Land 

THE  people  of  the  young  Republic  of  the  United 
States  were  greatly  astonished,  in  the  summer  of 
1803,  to  learn  that  Napoleon  Bonaparte,  then  First  Consul 
of  France,  had  sold  to  us  the  vast  tract  of  land  known  as 
the  country  of  Louisiana.  The  details  of  this  purchase 
were  arranged  in  Paris  (on  the  part  of  the  United  States) 
by  Robert  R.  Livingston  and  James  Madison.  The  French 
government  was  represented  by  Barbe-Marbois,  Minister 
of  the  Public  Treasury. 

The  price  to  be  paid  for  this  vast  domain  was  fifteen 
million  dollars.  The  area  of  the  country  ceded  was  reck- 
oned to  be  more  than  one  million  square  miles,  greater 
than  the  total  area  of  the  United  States,  as  the  Republic 
then  existed.  Roughly  described,  the  territory  comprised 
all  that  part  of  the  continent  west  of  the  Mississippi  River, 
bounded  on  the  north  by  the  British  possessions  and  on 
the  west  and  south  by  dominions  of  Spain.  This  in- 
cluded the  region  in  which  now  lie  the  States  of  Louisi- 
ana, Arkansas,  Missouri,  Kansas,  a part  of  Colorado,  the 
States  of  Iowa,  Nebraska,  South  Dakota,  North  Dakota, 
Wyoming,  a part  of  Idaho,  and  all  of  Montana.  At  that 
time,  the  entire  population  of  the  region,  exclusive  of  the 
Indian  tribes  that  roamed  over  its  trackless  spaces,  was 
barely  ninety  thousand  persons,  of  whom  forty  thousand 

1 


2 


First  Across  the  Continent 


were  negro  slaves.  The  civilized  inhabitants  were  princi- 
pally French,  or  descendants  of  French,  with  a few 
Spanish,  Germans,  English,  and  Americans. 

The  purchase  of  this  tremendous  slice  of  territory  could 
not  be  complete  without  an  approval  of  the  bargain  by 
the  United  States  Senate.  Great  opposition  to  this  was 
immediately  excited  by  people  in  various  parts  of  the 
Union,  especially  in  New  England,  where  there  was  a very 
bitter  feeling  against  the  prime  mover  in  this  business, — 
Thomas  Jefferson,  then  President  of  the  United  States. 
The  scheme  was  ridiculed  by  persons  who  insisted  that 
the  region  was  not  only  wild  and  unexplored,  but  unin- 
habitable and  worthless.  They  derided  “ The  Jefferson 
Purchase,”  as  they  called  it,  as  a useless  piece  of  extrava- 
gance and  folly;  and,  in  addition  to  its  being  a foolish 
bargain,  it  was  urged  that  President  Jefferson  had  no  right, 
under  the  constitution  of  the  United  States,  to  add  any 
territory  to  the  area  of  the  Republic. 

Nevertheless,  a majority  of  the  people  were  in  favor  of 
the  purchase,  and  the  bargain  was  duly  approved  by  the 
United  States  Senate  ; that  body,  July  31,  1803,  just 
three  months  after  the  execution  of  the  treaty  of  cession, 
formally  ratified  the  important  agreement  between  the 
two  governments.  The  dominion  of  the  United  States 
was  now  extended  across  the  entire  continent  of  North 
America,  reaching  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific.  The 
Territory  of  Oregon  was  already  ours. 

This  momentous  transfer  took  place  one  hundred  years 
ago,  when  almost  nothing  was  known  of  the  region  so 
summarily  handed  from  the  government  of  France  to  the 
government  of  the  American  Republic.  No  white  man 
had  ever  traversed  those  trackless  plains,  or  scaled  the 
frowning  ranges  of  mountains  that  barred  the  way  across 


A Great  Transaction  in  Land 


3 


the  continent.  There  were  living  in  the  fastnesses  of  the 
mysterious  interior  of  the  Louisiana  Purchase  many  tribes 
of  Indians  who  had  never  looked  in  the  face  of  the  white 
man. 

Nor  was  the  Pacific  shore  of  the  country  any  better 
known  to  civilized  man  than  was  the  region  lying  between 
that  coast  and  the  Big  Muddy,  or  Missouri  River.  Spanish 
voyagers,  in  1602,  had  sailed  as  far  north  as  the  harbors 
of  San  Diego  and  Monterey,  in  what  is  now  California; 
and  other  explorers,  of  the  same  nationality,  in  1775, 
extended  their  discoveries  as  far  north  as  the  fifty-eighth 
degree  of  latitude.  Famous  Captain  Cook,  the  great  navi- 
gator of  the  Pacific  seas,  in  1778,  reached  and  entered 
Nootka  Sound,  and,  leaving  numerous  harbors  and  bays 
unexplored,  he  pressed  on  and  visited  the  shores  of  Alaska, 
then  called  Unalaska,  and  traced  the  coast  as  far  north  as 
Icy  Cape.  Cold  weather  drove  him  westward  across  the 
Pacific,  and  he  spent  the  next  winter  at  Owyhee,  where, 
in  February  of  the  following  year,  he  was  killed  by  the 
natives. 

All  these  explorers  were  looking  for  chances  for  fur- 
trading, which  was  at  that  time  the  chief  industry  of  the 
Pacific  coast.  Curiously  enough,  they  all  passed  by  the 
mouth  of  the  Columbia  without  observing  that  there  was 
the  entrance  to  one  of  the  finest  rivers  on  the  American 
continent. 

Indeed,  Captain  Vancouver,  a British  explorer,  who  has 
left  his  name  on  the  most  important  island  of  the  North 
Pacific  coast,  baffled  by  the  deceptive  appearances  of  the 
two  capes  that  guard  the  way  to  a noble  stream  (Cape 
Disappointment  and  Cape  Deception),  passed  them  with- 
out a thought.  But  Captain  Gray,  sailing  the  good  ship 
“ Columbia,”  of  Boston,  who  coasted  those  shores  for  more 


4 


First  Across  the  Continent 


than  two  years,  fully  convinced  that  a strong  current  which 
he  observed  off  those  capes  came  from  a river,  made  a 
determined  effort;  and  on  the  nth  of  May,  1792,  he  dis- 
covered and  entered  the  great  river  that  now  bears  the 
name  of  his  ship.  At  last  the  key  that  was  to  open  the 
mountain  fastnesses  of  the  heart  of  the  continent  had  been 
found.  The  names  of  the  capes  christened  by  Vancouver 
and  re-christened  by  Captain  Gray  have  disappeared  from 
our  maps,  but  in  the  words  of  one  of  the  numerous  editors 1 
of  the  narrative  of  the  exploring  expedition  of  Lewis  and 
Clark:  “ The  name  of  the  good  ship  ‘ Columbia,’  it  is  not 
hard  to  believe,  will  flow  with  the  waters  of  the  bold  river 
as  long  as  grass  grows  or  water  runs  in  the  valleys  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains.” 

It  appears  that  the  attention  of  President  Jefferson  had 
been  early  attracted  to  the  vast,  unexplored  domain  which 
his  wise  foresight  was  finally  to  add  to  the  territory  of  the 
United  States.  While  he  was  living  in  Paris,  as  the  repre- 
sentative of  the  United  States,  in  1785-89,  he  made  the 
acquaintance  of  John  Ledyard,  of  Connecticut,  the  well- 
known  explorer,  who  had  then  in  mind  a scheme  for  the 
establishment  of  a fur-trading  post  on  the  western  coast  of 
America.  Mr.  Jefferson  proposed  to  Ledyard  that  the 
most  feasible  route  to  the  coveted  fur-bearing  lands  would 
be  through  the  Russian  possessions  and  downward  some- 
where near  to  the  latitude  of  the  then  unknown  sources  of  the 
Missouri  River,  entering  the  United  States  by  that  route. 
This  scheme  fell  through  on  account  of  the  obstacles 
thrown  in  Ledyard’s  way  by  the  Russian  Government.  A 
few  years  later,  in  1792,  Jefferson,  whose  mind  was  appar- 
ently fixed  on  carrying  out  his  project,  proposed  to  the 
American  Philosophical  Society  of  Philadelphia  that  a 
1 Dr.  Archibald  McVickar. 


A Great  Transaction  in  Land 


5 


subscription  should  be  opened  for  the  purpose  of  raising 
money  “ to  engage  some  competent  person  to  explore  that 
region  in  the  opposite  direction  (from  the  Pacific  coast),  — 
that  is,  by  ascending  the  Missouri,  crossing  the  Stony 
[Rocky]  Mountains,  and  descending  the  nearest  river  to 
the  Pacific.”  This  was  the  hint  from  which  originated  the 
famous  expedition  of  Lewis  and  Clark. 

But  the  story-teller  should  not  forget  to  mention  that 
hardy  and  adventurous  explorer,  Jonathan  Carver.  This 
man,  the  son  of  a British  officer,  set  out  from  Boston,  in 
1766,  to  explore  the  wilderness  north  of  Albany  and  lying 
along  the  southern  shore  of  the  Great  Lakes.  He  was 
absent  two  years  and  seven  months,  and  in  that  time  he 
collected  a vast  amount  of  useful  and  strange  information, 
besides  learning  the  language  of  the  Indians  among  whom 
he  lived.  He  conceived  the  bold  plan  of  travelling  up  a 
branch  of  the  Missouri  (or  “Messorie”),  till,  having  dis- 
covered the  source  of  the  traditional  “ Oregon,  or  River  of 
the  West,”  on  the  western  side  of  the  lands  that  divide  the 
continent,  “ he  would  have  sailed  down  that  river  to  the 
place  where  it  is  said  to  empty  itself,  near  the  Straits  of 
Anian.” 

By  the  Straits  of  Anian,  we  are  to  suppose,  were  meant 
some  part  of  Behring’s  Straits,  separating  Asia  from  the 
American  continent.  Carver’s  fertile  imagination,  stimu- 
lated by  what  he  knew  of  the  remote  Northwest,  pictured 
that  wild  region  where,  according  to  a modern  poet,  “ rolls 
the  Oregon  and  hears  no  sound  save  his  own  dashing.” 
But  Carver  died  without  the  sight;  in  his  later  years,  he 
said  of  those  who  should  follow  his  lead : “ While  their 
spirits  are  elated  by  their  success,  perhaps  they  may  be- 
stow some  commendations  and  blessings  on  the  person 
who  first  pointed  out  to  them  the  way.” 


Chapter  II 

Beginning  a Long  Journey 

IN  1803,  availing  himself  of  a plausible  pretext  to  send 
out  an  exploring  expedition,  President  Jefferson  asked 
Congress  to  appropriate  a small  sum  of  money  ($2,500) 
for  the  execution  of  his  purpose.  At  that  time  the  cession 
of  the  Louisiana  Territory  had  not  been  completed;  but 
matters  were  in  train  to  that  end,  and  before  the  expedi- 
tion was  fairly  started  on  its  long  journey  across  the  con- 
tinent, the  Territory  was  formally  ceded  to  the  United 
States. 

Meriwether  Lewis,  a captain  in  the  army,  was  selected 
by  Jefferson  to  lead  the  expedition.  Captain  Lewis  was  a 
native  of  Virginia,  and  at  that  time  was  only  twenty-nine 
years  old.  He  had  been  Jefferson’s  private  secretary  for 
two  years  and  was,  of  course,  familiar  with  the  President’s 
plans  and  expectations  as  these  regarded  the  wonder-land 
which  Lewis  was  to  enter.  It  is  pleasant  to  quote  here  Mr. 
Jefferson’s  words  concerning  Captain  Lewis.  In  a memoir 
of  that  distinguished  young  officer,  written  after  his  death, 
Jefferson  said  : “ Of  courage  undaunted  ; possessing  a firm- 
ness and  perseverance  of  purpose  which  nothing  but  im- 
possibilities could  divert  from  its  direction;  careful  as  a 
father  of  those  committed  to  his  charge,  yet  steady  in  the 
maintenance  of  order  and  discipline ; intimate  with  the 
Indian  character,  customs  and  principles;  habituated  to 
the  hunting  life;  guarded,  by  exact  observation  of  the 
vegetables  and  animals  of  his  own  country,  against  losing 


Beginning  a Long  Journey 


7 


time  in  the  description  of  objects  already  possessed;  hon- 
est, disinterested,  liberal,  of  sound  understanding,  and  a 
fidelity  to  truth  so  scrupulous  that  whatever  he  should 
report  would  be  as  certain  as  if  seen  by  ourselves  — with 
all  these  qualifications,  as  if  selected  and  implanted  by 
nature  in  one  body  for  this  express  purpose,  I could  have 
no  hesitation  in  confiding  the  enterprise  to  him.” 

Before  we  have  finished  the  story  of  Meriwether  Lewis 
and  his  companions,  we  shall  see  that  this  high  praise  of 
the  youthful  commander  was  well  deserved. 

For  a coadjutor  and  comrade  Captain  Lewis  chose  Wil- 
liam Clark,1  also  a native  of  Virginia,  and  then  about  thirty- 
three  years  old.  Clark,  like  Lewis,  held  a commission  in 
the  military  service  of  the  United  States,  and  his  appoint- 
ment as  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  expedition  with  which 
his  name  and  that  of  Lewis  will  ever  be  associated,  made 
the  two  men  equal  in  rank.  Exactly  how  there  could  be 
two  captains  commanding  the  same  expedition,  both  of 
the  same  military  and  actual  rank,  without  jar  or  quarrel, 
we  cannot  understand ; but  it  is  certain  that  the  two  young 
men  got  on  together  harmoniously,  and  no  hint  or  sus- 
picion of  any  serious  disagreement  between  the  two  cap- 
tains during  their  long  and  arduous  service  has  come  down 
to  us  from  those  distant  days. 

As  finally  organized,  the  expedition  was  made  up  of 
the  two  captains  (Lewis  and  Clark)  and  twenty-six  men. 
These  were  nine  young  men  from  Kentucky,  who  were 

1 It  is  a little  singular  that  Captain  Clark’s  name  has  been  so  per- 
sistently misspelled  by  historians  and  biographers.  Even  in  most  of 
the  published  versions  of  the  story  of  the  Lewis  and  Clark  expedition, 
the  name  of  one  of  the  captains  is  spelled  Clark*.  Clark’s  own  signa- 
ture, of  which  many  are  in  existence,  is  without  the  final  and  superflu- 
ous vowel ; and  the  family  name,  for  generations  past,  does  not  show  it. 


8 


First  Across  the  Continent 


used  to  life  on  the  frontier  among  Indians;  fourteen 
soldiers  of  the  United  States  Army,  selected  from  many 
who  eagerly  volunteered  their  services;  two  French  voya- 
geurs , or  watermen,  one  of  whom  was  an  interpreter  of 
Indian  language,  and  the  other  a hunter ; and  one  black 
man,  a servant  of  Captain  Clark.  All  these,  except  the 
negro  servant,  were  regularly  enlisted  as  privates  in  the 
military  service  of  the  United  States  during  the  expedi- 
tion ; and  three  of  them  were  by  the  captains  appointed 
sergeants.  In  addition  to  this  force,  nine  voyageurs  and 
a corporal  and  six  private  soldiers  were  detailed  to  act  as 
guides  and  assistants  until  the  explorers  should  reach  the 
country  of  the  Mandan  Indians,  a region  lying  around  the 
spot  where  is  now  situated  the  flourishing  city  of  Bismarck, 
the  capital  of  North  Dakota.  It  was  expected  that  if 
hostile  Indians  should  attack  the  explorers  anywhere 
within  the  limits  of  the  little-known  parts  through  which 
they  were  to  make  their  way,  such  attacks  were  more 
likely  to  be  made  below  the  Mandan  country  than 
elsewhere. 

The  duties  of  the  explorers  were  numerous  and  im- 
portant. They  were  to  explore  as  thoroughly  as  possible 
the  country  through  which  they  were  to  pass;  making 
such  observations  of  latitude  and  longitude  as  would  be 
needed  when  maps  of  the  region  should  be  prepared  by 
the  War  Department;  observing  the  trade,  commerce, 
tribal  relations,  manners  and  customs,  language,  traditions, 
and  monuments,  habits  and  industrial  pursuits,  diseases 
and  laws  of  the  Indian  nations  with  whom  they  might 
come  in  contact;  note  the  floral,  mineral,  and  animal 
characteristics  of  the  country,  and,  above  all,  to  report 
whatever  might  be  of  interest  to  citizens  who  might  there- 
after be  desirous  of  opening  trade  relations  with  those 


Beginning  a Long  Journey 


9 


wild  tribes  of  which  almost  nothing  was  then  distinctly 
known. 

The  list  of  articles  with  which  the  explorers  were  pro- 
vided, to  aid  them  in  establishing  peaceful  relations  with 
the  Indians,  might  amuse  traders  of  the  present  day.  But 
in  those  primitive  times,  and  among  peoples  entirely 
ignorant  of  the  white  man’s  riches  and  resources,  coats 
richly  laced  with  gilt  braid,  red  trousers,  medals,  flags, 
knives,  colored  handkerchiefs,  paints,  small  looking-glasses, 
beads  and  tomahawks  were  believed  to  be  so  attractive 
to  the  simple-minded  red  man  that  he  would  gladly  do 
much  and  give  much  of  his  own  to  win  such  prizes.  Of 
these  fine  things  there  were  fourteen  large  bales  and  one 
box.  The  stores  of  the  expedition  were  clothing,  work- 
ing tools,  fire-arms,  food  supplies,  powder,  ball,  lead  for 
bullets,  and  flints  for  the  guns  then  in  use,  the  old-fashioned 
flint-lock  rifle  and  musket  being  still  in  vogue  in  our 
country;  for  all  of  this  was  at  the  beginning  of  the 
present  century. 

As  the  party  was  to  begin  their  long  journey  by  ascend- 
ing the  Missouri  River,  their  means  of  travel  were  provided 
in  three  boats.  The  largest,  a keel-boat,  fifty-five  feet 
long  and  drawing  three  feet  of  water,  carried  a big  square 
sail  and  twenty- two  seats  for  oarsmen.  On  board  this 
craft  was  a small  swivel  gun.  The  other  two  boats  were 
of  that  variety  of  open  craft  known  as  pirogue,  a craft 
shaped  like  a flat-iron,  square-sterned,  flat-bottomed, 
roomy,  of  light  draft,  and  usually  provided  with  four  oars 
and  a square  sail  which  could  be  used  when  the  wind  was 
aft,  and  which  also  served  as  a tent,  or  night  shelter,  on 
shore.  Two  horses,  for  hunting  or  other  occasional  ser- 
vice, were  led  along  the  banks  of  the  river. 

As  we  have  seen,  President  Jefferson,  whose  master  mind 


IO 


First  Across  the  Continent 


organized  and  devised  this  expedition,  had  dwelt  longingly 
on  the  prospect  of  crossing  the  continent  from  the  head- 
waters of  the  Missouri  to  the  headwaters  of  the  then 
newly-discovered  Columbia.  The  route  thus  explored 
was  more  difficult  than  that  which  was  later  travelled  by 
the  first  emigrants  across  the  continent  to  California. 
That  route  lies  up  the  Platte  River,  through  what  is 
known  as  the  South  Pass  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  by 
Great  Salt  Lake  and  down  the  valley  of  the  Humboldt 
into  California,  crossing  the  Sierra  Nevada  at  any  one  of 
several  points  leading  into  the  valley  of  the  Sacramento. 
The  route,  which  was  opened  by  the  gold-seekers,  was 
followed  by  the  first  railroads  built  across  the  continent. 
The  route  that  lay  so  firmly  in  Jefferson’s  mind,  and  which 
was  followed  up  with  incredible  hardships  by  the  Lewis 
and  Clark  expedition,  has  since  been  traversed  by  two 
railroads,  built  after  the  first  transcontinental  rails  were 
laid.  If  Jefferson  had  desired  to  find  the  shortest  and 
most  feasible  route  across  the  continent,  he  would  have 
pointed  to  the  South  Pass  and  Utah  basin  trails.  But 
these  would  have  led  the  explorers  into  California,  then 
and  long  afterwards  a Spanish  possession.  The  entire  line 
finally  traced  over  the  Great  Divide  lay  within  the  terri- 
tory of  the  United  States. 

But  it  must  be  remembered  that  while  the  expedition 
was  being  organized,  the  vast  Territory  of  Louisiana  was  as 
yet  a French  possession.  Before  the  party  were  brought 
together  and  their  supplies  collected,  the  territory  passed 
under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  United  States.  Nevertheless, 
that  jurisdiction  was  not  immediately  acknowledged  by  the 
officials  who,  up  to  that  time,  had  been  the  representatives 
of  the  French  and  Spanish  governments.  Part  of  the  ter- 
ritory was  transferred  from  Spain  to  France  and  then  from 


I 


Beginning  a Long  Journey  1 1 


France  to  the  United  States.  It  was  intended  that  the 
exploring  party  should  pass  the  winter  of  1803-4  in  St. 
Louis,  then  a mere  village  which  had  been  commonly  known 
as  Pain  Court.  But  the  Spanish  governor  of  the  province 
had  not  been  officially  told  that  the  country  had  been 
transferred  to  the  United  States,  and,  after  the  Spanish 
manner,  he  forbade  the  passage  of  the  Americans  through 
his  jurisdiction.  In  those  days  communication  between 
frontier  posts  and  points  lying  far  to  the  eastward  of  the 
Mississippi  was  very  difficult;  it  required  six  weeks  to 
carry  the  mails  between  New  York,  Philadelphia,  and 
Washington  to  St.  Louis ; and  this  was  the  reason  why  a 
treaty,  ratified  in  July,  was  not  officially  heard  of  in  St. 
Louis  as  late  as  December  of  that  year.  The  explorers, 
shut  out  of  Spanish  territory,  recrossed  the  Mississippi 
and  wintered  at  the  mouth  of  Wood  River,  just  above 
St.  Louis,  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  great  river,  in  United 
States  territory.  As  a matter  of  record,  it  may  be  said 
here  that  the  actual  transfer  of  the  lower  part  of  the 
territory  — commonly  known  as  Orleans  — took  place  at 
New  Orleans,  December  20,  1803,  and  the  transfer  of  the 
upper  part  was  effected  at  St.  Louis,  March  10,  1804,  before 
the  Lewis  and  Clark  expedition  had  started  on  its  long 
journey  to  the  northwestward. 

All  over  the  small  area  of  the  United  States  then  existed 
a deep  interest  in  the  proposed  explorations  of  the  course 
and  sources  of  the  Missouri  River.  The  explorers  were 
about  to  plunge  into  vast  solitudes  of  which  white  people 
knew  less  than  we  know  now  about  the  North  Polar  country. 
Wild  and  extravagant  stories  of  what  was  to  be  seen  in 
those  trackless  regions  were  circulated  in  the  States.  For 
example,  it  was  said  that  Lewis  and  Clark  expected  to  find 
the  mammoth  of  prehistoric  times  still  living  and  wander- 


First  Across  the  Continent 


i 2 


ing  in  the  Upper  Missouri  region;  and  it  was  commonly 
reported  that  somewhere,  a thousand  miles  or  so  up  the 
river,  was  a solid  mountain  of  rock  salt,  eighty  miles  long 
and  forty-five  miles  wide,  destitute  of  vegetation  and  glit- 
tering in  the  sun  ! These,  and  other  tales  like  these,  were 
said  to  be  believed  and  doted  upon  by  the  great  Jefferson 
himself.  The  Federalists,  or  “Feds,”  as  they  were  called, 
who  hated  Jefferson,  pretended  to  believe  that  he  had 
invented  some  of  these  foolish  yarns,  hoping  thereby  to 
make  his  Louisiana  purchase  more  popular  in  the 
Republic. 

In  his  last  letter  to  Captain  Lewis,  which  was  to  reach 
the  explorers  before  they  started,  Jefferson  said:  “The 
acquisition  of  the  country  through  which  you  are  to  pass 
has  inspired  the  country  generally  with  a great  deal  of 
interest  in  your  enterprise.  The  inquiries  are  perpetual  as 
to  your  progress.  The  Feds  alone  still  treat  it  as  a phil- 
osophism,  and  would  rejoice  at  its  failure.  Their  bitter- 
ness increases  with  the  diminution  of  their  numbers  and 
despair  of  a resurrection.  I hope  you  will  take  care  of 
yourself,  and  be  a living  witness  of  their  malice  and  folly.” 
Indeed,  after  the  explorers  were  lost  sight”  of  in  the  wilder- 
ness which  they  were  to  traverse,  many  people  in  the 
States  declaimed  bitterly  against  the  folly  that  had  sent 
these  unfortunate  men  to  perish  miserably  in  the  fathom- 
less depths  of  the  continent  They  no  longer  treated  it 
“ as  a philosophism,”  or  wild  prank,  but  as  a wicked  scheme 
to  risk  life  and  property  in  a search  for  the  mysteries  of  the 
unknown  and  unknowable. 

As  a striking  illustration  of  this  uncertainty  of  the  out- 
come of  the  expedition,  which  exercised  even  the  mind 
of  Jefferson,  it  may  be  said  that  in  his  instructions  to  Cap- 
tain Lewis  he  said : “ Our  Consuls,  Thomas  Hewes,  at 


Beginning  a Long  Journey 


x3 


Batavia  in  Java,  William  Buchanan  in  the  Isles  of  France 
and  Bourbon,  and  John  Elmslie  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope, 
will  be  able  to  supply  your  necessities  by  drafts  on  us.” 
All  this  seems  strange  enough  to  the  young  reader  of  the 
present  day;  but  this  was  said  and  done  one  hundred 
years  ago. 


Chapter  III 

From  the  Lower  to  the  Upper  River 


THE  party  finally  set  sail  up  the  Missouri  River  on 
Monday,  May  21,  1804,  but  made  only  a few  miles, 
owing  to  head  winds.  Four  days  later  they  camped  near 
the  last  white  settlement  on  the  Missouri,  — La  Charrette, 
a little  village  of  seven  poor  houses.  Here  lived  Daniel 
Boone,  the  famous  Kentucky  backwoodsman,  then  nearly 
seventy  years  old,  but  still  vigorous,  erect,  and  strong  of 
limb.  Here  and  above  this  place  the  explorers  began  to 
meet  with  unfamiliar  Indian  tribes  and  names.  For  example, 
they  met  two  canoes  loaded  with  furs  “ from  the  Mahar 
nation.”  The  writer  of  the  Lewis  and  Clark  journal,  upon 
whose  notes  we  rely  for  our  story,  made  many  slips  of  this 
sort.  By  “ Mahars  ” we  must  understand  that  the  Omahas 
were  meant.  We  shall  come  across  other  such  instances  in 
which  the  strangers  mistook  the  pronunciation  of  Indian 
names.  For  example,  Kansas  was  by  them  misspelled  as 
“ Canseze  ” and  “ Canzan ; ” and  there  appear  some  thir- 
teen or  fourteen  different  spellings  of  Sioux,  of  which  one 
of  the  most  far-fetched  is  “ Scouex.” 

The  explorers  were  now  in  a country  unknown  to  them 
and  almost  unknown  to  any  white  man.  On  the  thirty-first 
of  May,  a messenger  came  down  the  Grand  Osage  River 
bringing  a letter  from  a person  who  wrote  that  the  Indians, 
having  been  notified  that  the  country  had  been  ceded  to 
the  Americans,  burned  the  letter  containing  the  tidings, 


From  the  Lower  to  the  Upper  River  15 


refusing  to  believe  the  report.  The  Osage  Indians, 
through  whose  territory  they  were  now  passing,  were 
among  the  largest  and  finest-formed  red  men  of  the  West. 
Their  name  came  from  the  the  river  along  which  they 
warred  and  hunted,  but  their  proper  title,  as  they  called 
themselves,  was  “ the  Wabashas,”  and  from  them,  in  later 
years,  we  derive  the  familiar  name  of  Wabash.  A curious 
tradition  of  this  people,  according  to  the  journal  of  Lewis 
and  Clark,  is  that  the  founder  of  the  nation  was  a snail, 
passing  a quiet  existence  along  the  banks  of  the  Osage, 
till  a high  flood  swept  him  down  to  the-  Missouri,  and  left 
him  exposed  on  the  shore.  The  heat  of  the  sun  at  length 
ripened  him  into  a man ; but  with  the  change  of  his  nature 
he  had  not  forgotten  his  native  seats  on  the  Osage,  towards 
which  he  immediately  bent  his  way.  He  was,  however, 
soon  overtaken  by  hunger  and  fatigue,  when  happily, 
the  Great  Spirit  appeared,  and,  giving  him  a bow  and 
arrow,  showed  him  how  to  kill  and  cook  deer,  and  cover 
himself  with  the  skin.  He  then  proceeded  to  his  original 
residence ; but  as  he  approached  the  river  he  was  met  by 
a beaver,  who  inquired  haughtily  who  he  was,  and  by  what 
authority  he  came  to  disturb  his  possession.  The  Osage 
answered  that  the  river  was  his  own,  for  he  had  once  lived  on 
its  borders.  As  they  stood  disputing,  the  daughter  of  the 
beaver  came,  and  having,  by  her  entreaties,  reconciled  her 
father  to  this  young  stranger,  it  was  proposed  that  the 
Osage  should  marry  the  young  beaver,  and  share  with  her 
family  the  enjoyment  of  the  river.  The  Osage  readily 
consented,  and  from  this  happy  union  there  soon  came  the 
village  and  the  nation  of  the  Wabasha,  or  Osages,  who 
have  ever  since  preserved  a pious  reverence  for  their  ances- 
tors, abstaining  from  the  chase  of  the  beaver,  because  in 
killing  that  animal  they  killed  a brother  of  the  Osage.  Of 


First  Across  the  Continent 


16 


late  years,  however,  since  the  trade  with  the  whites  has 
rendered  beaver-skins  more  valuable,  the  sanctity  of  these 
maternal  relatives  has  been  visibly  reduced,  and  the  poor 
animals  have  lost  all  the  privileges  of  kindred. 

Game  was  abundant  all  along  the  river  as  the  explorers 
sailed  up  the  stream.  Their  hunters  killed  numbers  of 
deer,  and  at  the  mouth  of  Big  Good  Woman  Creek,  which 
empties  into  the  Missouri  near  the  present  town  of  Frank- 
lin, Howard  County,  three  bears  were  brought  into  the 
camp.  Here,  too,  they  began  to  find  salt  springs,  or  “ salt 
licks,”  to  which  many  wild  animals  resorted  for  salt,  of 
which  they  were  very  fond.  Saline  County,  Missouri,  per- 
petuates the  name  given  to  the  region  by  Lewis  and  Clark. 
Traces  of  buffalo  were  also  found  here,  and  occasional 
wandering  traders  told  them  that  the  Indians  had  begun 
to  hunt  the  buffalo  now  that  the  grass  had  become  abund- 
ant enough  to  attract  this  big  game  from  regions  lying 
further  south. 

By  the  tenth  of  June  the  party  had  entered  the  country 
of  the  Ayauway  nation.  This  was  an  easy  way  of  spelling 
the  word  now  familiar  to  us  as  “ Iowa.”  But  before  that 
spelling  was  reached,  it  was  Ayaway,  Ayahwa,  Iawai, 
Iaway,  and  so  on.  The  remnants  of  this  once  powerful 
tribe  now  number  scarcely  two  hundred  persons.  In  Lewis 
and  Clark’s  time,  they  were  a large  nation,  with  several 
hundred  warriors,  and  were  constantly  at  war  with  their 
neighbors.  Game  here  grew  still  more  abundant,  and  in 
addition  to  deer  and  bear  the  hunters  brought  in  a rac- 
coon. One  of  these  hunters  brought  into  camp  a wild  tale 
of  a snake  which,  he  said,  “ made  a guttural  noise  like  a 
turkey.”  One  of  the  French  voyageurs  confirmed  this 
story ; but  the  croaking  snake  was  never  found  and 
identified. 


From  the  Lower  to  the  Upper  River  17 


On  the  twenty-fourth  of  June  the  explorers  halted  to 
prepare  some  of  the  meat  which  their  hunters  brought  in. 
Numerous  herds  of  deer  were  feeding  on  the  abundant 
grass  and  young  willows  that  grew  along  the  river  banks. 
The  meat,  cut  in  small  strips,  or  ribbons,  was  dried  quickly 
in  the  hot  sun.  This  was  called  “ jirked  ” meat.  Later 
on  the  word  was  corrupted  into  “jerked,”  and  “jerked 
beef”  is  not  unknown  at  the  present  day.  The  verb 
“jerk”  is  corrupted  from  the  Chilian  word,  charqui , 
meaning  sun-dried  meat ; but  it  is  not  easy  to  explain  how 
the  Chilian  word  got  into  the  Northwest. 

As  the  season  advanced,  the  party  found  many  delicious 
wild  fruits,  such  as  currants,  plums,  raspberries,  wild 
apples,  and  vast  quantities  of  mulberries.  Wild  turkeys 
were  also  found  in  large  numbers,  and  the  party  had  evi- 
dently entered  a land  of  plenty.  Wild  geese  were  abund- 
ant, and  numerous  tracks  of  elk  were  seen.  But  we  may 
as  well  say  here  that  the  so-called  elk  of  the  Northwest 
is  not  the  elk  of  ancient  Europe ; a more  correct  and 
distinctive  name  for  this  animal  is  wapiti,  the  name  given 
the  animal  by  the  Indians.  The  European  elk  more 
closely  resembles  the  American  moose.  Its  antlers  are 
flat,  low,  and  palmated  like  our  moose ; whereas  the 
antlers  of  the  American  elk,  so-called,  are  long,  high,  and 
round-shaped  with  many  sharp  points  or  tines. 

The  mouth  of  the  great  Platte  River  was  reached  on  the 
twenty-first  of  July.  This  famous  stream  was  then  re- 
garded as  a sort  of  boundary  line  between  the  known  and 
unknown  regions.  As  mariners  crossing  the  equator 
require  all  their  comrades,  who  have  not  been  “ over  the 
line  ” to  submit  to  lathering  and  shaving,  so  the  Western 
voyageurs  merrily  compelled  their  mates  to  submit  to 
similar  horse-play.  The  great  river  was  also  the  mark 


i8 


First  Across  the  Continent 


above  which  explorers  entered  upon  what  was  called  the 
Upper  Missouri. 

The  expedition  was  now  advancing  into  a region  in- 
habited by  several  wandering  tribes  of  Indians,  chief  of 
which  were  the  Ottoes,  Missouris,  and  Pawnees.  It  was 
determined,  therefore,  to  call  a council  of  some  of  the 
chiefs  of  these  bands  and  make  terms  of  peace  with  them. 
After  some  delay,  the  messengers  sent  out  to  them  brought 
in  fourteen  representative  Indians,  to  whom  the  white  men 
made  presents  of  roast  meat,  pork,  flour,  and  corn-meal,  in 
return  for  which  their  visitors  brought  them  quantities  of 
delicious  watermelons.  “ Next  day,  August  3,”  says  the 
journal,  “ the  Indians,  with  their  six  chiefs,  were  all  assem- 
bled under  an  awning  formed  with  the  mainsail,  in  pres- 
ence of  all  our  party,  paraded  for  the  occasion.  A speech 
was  then  made,  announcing  to  them  the  change  in  the 
government,  our  promises  of  protection,  and  advice  as  to 
their  future  conduct.  All  the  six  chiefs  replied  to  our 
speech,  each  in  his  turn,  according  to  rank.  They  ex- 
pressed their  joy  at  the  change  in  the  government;  their 
hopes  that  we  would  recommend  them  to  their  Great 
Father  (the  president),  that  they  might  obtain  trade  and 
necessaries : they  wanted  arms  as  well  for  hunting  as  for 
defence,  and  asked  our  mediation  between  them  and  the 
Mahas,  with  whom  they  are  now  at  war.  We  promised  to 
do  so,  and  wished  some  of  them  to  accompany  us  to  that 
nation,  which  they  declined,  for  fear  of  being  killed  by 
them.  We  then  proceeded  to  distribute  our  presents. 
The  grand  chief  of  the  nation  not  being  of  the  party,  we 
sent  him  a flag,  a medal,  and  some  ornaments  for  cloth- 
ing. To  the  six  chiefs  who  were  present,  we  gave  a medal 
of  the  second  grade  to  one  Ottoe  chief  and  one  Missouri 
chief;  a medal  of  the  third  grade  to  two  inferior  chiefs  of 


From  the  Lower  to  the  Upper  River  19 


each  nation;  the  customary  mode  of  recognizing  a chief 
being  to  place  a medal  round  his  neck,  which  is  considered 
among  his  tribe  as  a proof  of  his  consideration  abroad. 
Each  of  these  medals  was  accompanied  by  a present  of 
paint,  garters,  and  cloth  ornaments  of  dress ; and  to  this 
we  added  a canister  of  powder,  a bottle  of  whiskey,  and  a 
few  presents  to  the  whole,  which  appeared  to  make  them 
perfectly  satisfied.  The  air-gun,  too,  was  fired,  and  aston- 
ished them  greatly.  The  absent  grand  chief  was  an 
Ottoe,  named  Weahrushhah,  which,  in  English,  degen- 
erates into  Little  Thief.  The  two  principal  chieftains  pres- 
ent were  Shongotongo,  or  Big  Horse,  and  Wethea,  or 
Hospitality ; also  Shosguscan,  or  White  Horse,  an  Ottoe ; 
the  first  an  Ottoe,  the  second  a Missouri.  The  incidents 
just  related  induced  us  to  give  to  this  place  the  name  of 
the  Council  Bluffs : the  situation  of  it  is  exceedingly 

favorable  for  a fort  and  trading  factory,  as  the  soil  is 
well  calculated  for  bricks,  and  there  is  an  abundance  of 
wood  in  the  neighborhood,  and  the  air  being  pure  and 
healthy.” 

Of  course  the  reader  will  recognize,  in  the  name  given 
to  this  place  by  Lewis  and  Clark,  the  flourishing  modern 
city  of  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa.  Nevertheless,  as  a matter  of 
fact,  the  council  took  place  on  the  Nebraskan  or  western 
side  of  the  river,  and  the  meeting-place  was  at  some 
distance  above  the  site  of  the  present  city  of  Council 
Bluffs. 

Above  Council  Bluffs  the  explorers  found  the  banks  of 
the  river  to  be  high  and  bluffy,  and  on  one  of  the  high- 
lands which  they  passed  they  saw  the  burial-place  of 
Blackbird,  one  of  the  great  men  of  the  Mahars,  or  Omahas, 
who  had  died  of  small-pox.  A mound,  twelve  feet  in 
diameter  and  six  feet  high,  had  been  raised  over  the 


20 


First  Across  the  Continent 


grave,  and  on  a tall  pole  at  the  summit  the  party  fixed  a 
flag  of  red,  white,  and  blue.  The  place  was  regarded  as 
sacred  by  the  Omahas,  who  kept  the  dead  chieftain  well 
supplied  with  provisions.  The  small-pox  had  caused  great 
mortality  among  the  Indians ; and  a few  years  before  the 
white  men’s  visit,  when  the  fell  disease  had  destroyed  four 
hundred  men,  with  a due  proportion  of  women  and  chil- 
dren, the  survivors  burned  their  village  and  fled. 

“ They  had  been  a military  and  powerful  people ; but 
when  these  warriors  saw  their  strength  wasting  before  a 
malady  which  they  could  not  resist,  their  frenzy  was 
extreme ; they  burned  their  village,  and  many  of  them  put 
to  death  their  wives  and  children,  to  save  them  from  so 
cruel  an  affliction,  and  that  all  might  go  together  to  some 
better  country.” 

In  Omaha,  or  Mahar  Creek,  the  explorers  made  their 
first  experiment  in  dragging  the  stream  for  fish.  With  a 
drag  of  willows,  loaded  with  stones,  they  succeeded  in 
catching  a great  variety  of  fine  fish,  over  three  hundred  at 
one  haul,  and  eight  hundred  at  another.  These  were  pike, 
bass,  salmon-trout,  catfish,  buffalo  fish,  perch,  and  a species 
of  shrimp,  all  of  which  proved  a nacceptable  addition  to 
their  usual  flesh  bill-of-fare. 

Desiring  to  call  in  some  of  the  surrounding  Indian 
tribes,  they  here  set  fire  to  the  dry  prairie  grass,  that 
being  the  customary  signal  for  a meeting  of  different 
bands  of  roving  peoples.  In  the  afternoon  of  August 
1 8,  a party  of  Ottoes,  headed  by  Little  Thief  and  Big 
Horse,  came  in,  with  six  other  chiefs  and  a French  inter- 
preter. The  journal  says:  — 

“ We  met  them  under  a shade,  and  after  they  had  fin- 
ished a repast  with  which  we  supplied  them,  we  inquired 
into  the  origin  of  the  war  between  them  and  the  Mahas, 


From  the  Lower  to  the  Upper  River  21 


which  they  related  with  great  frankness.  It  seems  that 
two  of  the  Missouris  went  to  the  Mahas  to  steal  horses, 
but  were  detected  and  killed ; the  Ottoes  and  Missouris 
thought  themselves  bound  to  avenge  their  companions, 
and  the  whole  nations  were  at  last  obliged  to  share  in  the 
dispute.  They  are  also  in  fear  of  a war  from  the  Pawnees, 
whose  village  they  entered  this  summer,  while  the  inhabit- 
ants were  hunting,  and  stole  their  corn.  This  ingenuous 
confession  did  not  make  us  the  less  desirous  of  negotiat- 
ing a peace  for  them ; but  no  Indians  have  as  yet  been 
attracted  by  our  fire.  The  evening  was  closed  by  a 
dance ; and  the  next  day,  the  chiefs  and  warriors  being 
assembled  at  ten  o’clock,  we  explained  the  speech  we  had 
already  sent  from  the  Council  Bluffs,  and  renewed  our 
advice.  They  all  replied  in  turn,  and  the  presents  were 
then  distributed.  We  exchanged  the  small  medal  we  had 
formerly  given  -to  the  Big  Horse  for  one  of  the  same  size 
with  that  of  Little  Thief:  we  also  gave  a small  medal  to  a 
third  chief,  and  a kind  of  certificate  or  letter  of  acknowl- 
edgment to  five  of  the  warriors  expressive  of  our  favor 
and  their  good  intentions.  One  of  them,  dissatisfied, 
returned  us  the  certificate;  but  the  chief,  fearful  of  our 
being  offended,  begged  that  it  might  be  restored  to  him ; 
this  we  declined,  and  rebuked  them  severely  for  having  in 
view  mere  traffic  instead  of  peace  with  their  neighbors. 
This  displeased  them  at  first ; but  they  at  length  all  peti- 
tioned that  it  should  be  given  to  the  warrior,  who  then 
came  forward  and  made  an  apology  to  us;  we  then  de- 
livered it  to  the  chief  to  be  given  to  the  most  worthy,  and 
he  bestowed  it  on  the  same  warrior,  whose  name  was 
Great  Blue  Eyes.  After  a more  substantial  present  of 
small  articles  and  tobacco,  the  council  was  ended  with 
a dram  to  the  Indians.  In  the  evening  we  exhibited 


22 


First  Across  the  Continent 


different  objects  of  curiosity,  and  particularly  the  air-gun, 
which  gave  them  great  surprise.  Those  people  are  almost 
naked,  having  no  covering  except  a sort  of  breech-cloth 
round  the  middle,  with  a loose  blanket  or  buffalo  robe, 
painted,  thrown  over  them.  The  names  of  these  warriors, 
besides  those  already  mentioned,  were  Karkapaha,  or 
Crow's  Heady  and  Nenasawa,  or  Black  Cat , Missouris ; 
and  Sananona,  or  Iron  Eyes , Neswaunja,  or  Big  Ox , Stag- 
eaunja,  or  Big  Blue  Eyes , and  Wasashaco,  or  Brave  Many 
all  Ottoes.” 


Chapter  IV 


Novel  Experiences  among  the  Indians 
BOUT  this  time  (the  nineteenth  and  twentieth  of 


August),  the  explorers  lost  by  death  the  only 
member  of  their  party  who  did  not  survive  the  journey. 
Floyd  River,  which  flows  into  the  Upper  Missouri,  in  the 
northwest  corner  of  Iowa,  still  marks  the  last  resting-place 
of  Sergeant  Charles  Floyd,  who  died  there  of  bilious  colic 
and  was  buried  by  his  comrades  near  the  mouth  of  the 
stream.  Near  here  was  a quarry  of  red  pipestone,  dear 
to  the  Indian  fancy  as  a mine  of  material  for  their  pipes ; 
traces  of  this  deposit  still  remain.  So  fond  of  this  red 
rock  were  the  Indians  that  when  they  went  there  to  get 
the  stuff,  even  lifelong  and  vindictive  enemies  declared  a 
truce  while  they  gathered  the  material,  and  savage  hostile 
tribes  suspended  their  wars  for  a time. 

On  the  north  side  of  the  Missouri,  at  a point  in  what  is 
now  known  as  Clay  County,  South  Dakota,  Captains  Lewis 
and  Clark,  with  ten  men,  turned  aside  to  see  a great  natural 
curiosity,  known  to  the  Indians  as  the  Hill  of  Little  Devils. 
The  hill  is  a singular  mound  in  the  midst  of  a flat  prairie, 
three  hundred  yards  long,  sixty  or  seventy  yards  wide,  and 
about  seventy  feet  high.  The  top  is  a smooth  level  plain. 
The  journal  says : — 

“ The  Indians  have  made  it  a great  article  of  their 
superstition:  it  is  called  the  Mountain  of  Little  People, 
or  Little  Spirits ; and  they  believe  that  it  is  the  abode  of 


24 


First  Across  the  Continent 


little  devils,  in  the  human  form,  of  about  eighteen  inches 
high,  and  with  remarkably  large  heads  ; they  are  armed  with 
sharp  arrows,  with  which  they  are  very  skilful,  and  are 
always  on  the  watch  to  kill  those  who  should  have  the 
hardihood  to  approach  their  residence.  The  tradition  is, 
that  many  have  suffered  from  these  little  evil  spirits,  and, 
among  others,  three  Maha  Indians  fell  a sacrifice  to  them 
a few  years  since.  This  has  inspired  all  the  neighboring 
nations,  Sioux,  Mahas,  and  Ottoes,  with  such  terror,  that 
no  consideration  could  tempt  them  to  visit  the  hill.  We 
saw  none  of  these  wicked  little  spirits,  nor  any  place  for 
them,  except  some  small  holes  scattered  over  the  top ; we 
were  happy  enough  to  escape  their  vengeance,  though 
we  remained  some  time  on  the  mound  to  enjoy  the  de- 
lightful prospect  of  the  plain,  which  spreads  itself  out  till 
the  eye  rests  upon  the  northwest  hills  at  a great  distance, 
and  those  of  the  northeast,  still  farther  off,  enlivened  by 
large  herds  of  buffalo  feeding  at  a distance.” 

The  present  residents  of  the  region,  South  Dakota,  have 
preserved  the  Indian  tradition,  and  Spirit  Mound  may  be 
seen  on  modern  maps  of  that  country. 

Passing  on  their  way  up  the  Missouri,  the  explorers 
found  several  kinds  of  delicious  wild  plums  and  vast  quan- 
tities of  grapes ; and  here,  too,  they  passed  the  mouth  of 
the  Yankton  River,  now  known  as  the  Dakota,  at  the  mouth 
of  which  is  the  modern  city  of  Yankton,  South  Dakota. 
The  Yankton-Sioux  Indians,  numbering  about  one  thou- 
sand people,  inhabited  this  part  of  the  country,  and  near 
here  the  white  men  were  met  by  a large  band  of  these 
Sioux  who  had  come  in  at  the  invitation  of  Lewis  and 
Clark.  The  messengers  from  the  white  men  reported 
that  they  had  been  well  received  by  the  Indians,  who,  as 
a mark  of  respect,  presented  their  visitors  with  “ a fat  dog, 


Novel  Experiences  among  the  Indians  25 


already  cooked,  of  which  they  partook  heartily  and  found 
it  well-flavored.”  From  this  time,  according  to  the  journal, 
the  explorers  tasted  occasionally  of  roast  dog,  and  later 
on  they  adopted  this  dish  as  a regular  feature  of  their  bill- 
of-fare.  They  do  tell  us,  however,  that  they  had  some 
difficulty  in  getting  used  to  so  novel  an  article  of  food. 

The  Sioux  and  the  white  men  held  a grand  council 
under  an  oak-tree,  from  the  top  of  which  was  flying  the 
American  flag.  The  head  chief  was  presented  with  a 
gold-laced  uniform  of  the  United  States  artillery,  a cocked 
hat  and  red  feather.  The  lesser  chiefs  were  also  presented 
with  suitable  gifts  of  lesser  value.  Various  festivities  fol- 
lowed the  conference.  Next  day  another  powwow  was 
held  at  which  the  head  chief,  Weucha,  or  Shake  Hand, 
said : — 

“ ‘ I see  before  me  my  great  father’s  two  sons.  You  see 
me  and  the  rest  of  our  chiefs  and  warriors.  We  are  very 
poor ; we  have  neither  powder,  nor  ball,  nor  knives ; and 
our  women  and  children  at  the  village  have  no  clothes. 
I wish  that,  as  my  brothers  have  given  me  a flag  and  a 
medal,  they  would  give  something  to  those  poor  people, 
or  let  them  stop  and  trade  with  the  first  boat  which  comes 
up  the  river.  I will  bring  the  chiefs  of  the  Pawnees  and 
Mahas  together,  and  make  peace  between  them;  but  it  is 
better  that  I should  do  it  than  my  great  father’s  sons,  for 
they  will  listen  to  me  more  readily.  I will  also  take  some 
chiefs  to  your  country  in  the  spring ; but  before  that  time 
I cannot  leave  home.  I went  formerly  to  the  English,  and 
they  gave  me  a medal  and  some  clothes : when  I went  to 
the  Spaniards  they  gave  me  a medal,  but  nothing  to  keep 
it  from  my  skin  : but  now  you  give  me  a medal  and  clothes. 
But  still  we  are  poor;  and  I wish,  brothers,  you  would 
give  us  something  for  our  squaws.’ 


26 


First  Across  the  Continent 


“ When  he  sat  down,  Mahtoree,  or  White  Crane,  rose : 

“ ‘ I have  listened,’  said  he,  ‘ to  what  our  father’s  words 
were  yesterday;  and  I am  to-day  glad  to  see  how  you 
have  dressed  our  old  chief.  I am  a young  man,  and  do 
not  wish  to  take  much ; my  fathers  have  made  me  a chief ; 
I had  much  sense  before,  but  now  I think  I have  more 
than  ever.  What  the  old  chief  has  declared  I will  confirm, 
and  do  whatever  he  and  you  please ; but  I wish  that  you 
would  take  pity  on  us,  for  we  are  very  poor.’ 

“ Another  chief,  called  Pawnawneahpahbe,  then  said : 

“ ‘ I am  a young  man,  and  know  but  little ; I cannot 
speak  well,  but  I have  listened  to  what  you  have  told  the 
old  chief,  and  will  do  whatever  you  agree.’ 

“ The  same  sentiments  were  then  repeated  by  Aweawe- 
chache. 

“We  were  surprised,’’  the  journal  says,  “at  finding  that 
the  first  of  these  titles  means  Struck  by  the  Pawnee,  and 
was  occasioned  by  some  blow  which  thq  chief  had  received 
in  battle  from  one  of  the  Pawnee  tribe.  The  second  is  in 
English  Half  Man,  which  seemed  a singular  name  for  a 
warrior,  till  it  was  explained  to  have  its  origin,  probably, 
in  the  modesty  of  the  chief,  who,  on  being  told  of  his 
exploits,  would  say,  ‘ I am  no  warrior,  I am  only  half  a 
man.’  The  other  chiefs  spoke  very  little ; but  after  they 
had  finished,  one  of  the  warriors  delivered  a speech,  in 
which  he  declared  he  would  support  them.  They  prom- 
ised to  make  peace  with  the  Ottoes  and  Missouris,  the 
only  nations  with  whom  they  are  at  war.  All  these  ha- 
rangues concluded  by  describing  the  distress  of  the  nation : 
they  begged  us  to  have  pity  on  them ; to  send  them 
traders ; that  they  wanted  powder  and  ball ; and  seemed 
anxious  that  we  should  supply  them  with  some  of  their 
great  father’s  milk,  the  name  by  which  they  distinguish 


Before  and  after  Civilization 


Novel  Experiences  among  the  Indians  27 


ardent  spirits.  We  gave  some  tobacco  to  each  of  the 
chiefs,  and  a certificate  to  two  of  the  warriors  who  attended 
the  chief.  We  prevailed  on  M.  Durion  [interpreter]  to 
remain  here,  and  accompany  as  many  of  the  Sioux  chiefs 
as  he  could  collect  to  the  seat  of  government.  We  also 
gave  his  son  a flag,  some  clothes,  and  provisions,  with 
directions  to  bring  about  a peace  between  the  surrounding 
tribes,  and  to  convey  some  of  their  chiefs  to  see  the 
President. 

“The  Indians  who  have  just  left  us  are  the  Yanktons, 
a tribe  of  the  great  nation  of  Sioux.  These  Yanktons  are 
about  two  hundred  men  in  number,  and  inhabit  the 
Jacques,  Des  Moines,  and  Sioux  Rivers.  In  person  they 
are  stout,  well  proportioned,  and  have  a certain  air  of 
dignity  and  boldness.  In  their  dress  they  differ  nothing 
from  the  other  bands  of  the  nation  whom  we  met 
afterwards.” 

Of  the  Sioux  let  us  say  here,  there  are  many  bands,  or 
subdivisions.  Some  writers  make  eighteen  of  these  prin- 
cipal branches.  But  the  first  importance  is  given  to  the 
Sioux  proper,  or  Dakotas.  The  name  “Sioux”  is  one  of 
reproach,  given  by  their  enemies,  and  signifies  “ snake ; ” 
whereas  “ Dakota  ” means  “ friend  ” or  “ ally.”  The  Lewis 
and  Clark  journal  says  of  the  Yankton-Sioux : — 

“What  struck  us  most  was  an  institution  peculiar  to 
them  and  to  the  Kite  (Crow)  Indians  further  to  the  west- 
ward, from  whom  it  is  said  to  have  been  copied.  It  is  an 
association  of  the  most  active  and  brave  young  men,  who 
are  bound  to  each  other  by  attachment,  secured  by  a vow, 
never  to  retreat  before  any  danger,  or  give  way  to  their 
enemies.  In  war  they  go  forward  without  sheltering  them- 
selves behind  trees,  or  aiding  their  natural  valor  by  any 
artifice.  Their  punctilious  determination  not  to  be  turned 


28 


First  Across  the  Continent 


from  their  course  became  heroic,  or  ridiculous,  a short 
time  since,  when  the  Yanktons  were  crossing  the  Missouri 
on  the  ice.  A hole  lay  immediately  in  their  course,  which 
might  easily  have  been  avoided  by  going  around.  This 
the  foremost  of  the  band  disdained  to  do,  but  went  straight 
forward  and  was  lost.  The  others  would  have  followed 
his  example,  but  were  forcibly  prevented  by  the  rest  of 
the  tribe.  These  young  men  sit,  camp,  and  dance  to- 
gether, distinct  from  the  rest  of  the  nation ; they  are  gen- 
erally about  thirty  or  thirty-five  years  old,  and  such  is  the 
deference  paid  to  courage  that  their  seats  in  council  are 
superior  to  those  of  the  chiefs  and  their  persons  more 
respected.  But,  as  may  be  supposed,  such  indiscreet 
bravery  will  soon  diminish  the  numbers  of  those  who  prac- 
tise it ; so  that  the  band  is  now  reduced  to  four  warriors, 
who  were  among  our  visitors.  These  were  the  remains  of 
twenty-two  who  composed  the  society  not  long  ago ; but, 
in  a battle  with  the  Kite  (Crow)  Indians  of  the  Black 
Mountains,  eighteen  of  them  were  killed,  and  these  four 
were  dragged  from  the  field  by  their  companions.” 

Just  above  the  site  of  the  city  of  Yankton,  and  near 
what  is  still  known  as  Bon  Homme  Island,  Captain  Clark 
explored  a singular  earth  formation  in  a bend  of  the  river. 
This  had  all  the  appearance  of  an  ancient  fortification, 
stretching  across  the  bend  and  furnished  with  redoubts 
and  other  features  of  a great  fort.  In  the  journal  is  given 
a glowing  account  of  the  work  and  an  elaborate  map  of 
the  same.  Modern  research,  however,  has  proved  that 
this  strange  arrangement  of  walls  and  parapets  is  only  a 
series  of  sand  ridges  formed  by  the  currents  of  the  river 
and  driftings  of  sand.  Many  of  these  so-called  earthworks 
are  situated  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Upper  Missouri,  in 
North  Dakota  and  South  Dakota. 


Novel  Experiences  among  the  Indians  29 


A few  days  later,  the  party  saw  a species  of  animal  which 
they  described  as  “ goats,”  — very  fleet,  with  short  pronged 
horns  inclining  backward,  and  with  grayish  hair,  marked 
with  white  on  the  rump.  This  creature,  however,  was  the 
American  antelope,  then  unknown  to  science,  and  first 
described  by  Lewis  and  Clark.  While  visiting  a strange 
dome-shaped  mountain,  “ resembling  a cupola,”  and  now 
known  as  “the  Tower,”  the  explorers  found  the  abode  of 
another  animal,  heretofore  unknown  to  them.  “ About 
four  acres  of  ground,”  says  the  journal,  “ was  covered  with 
small  holes.”  The  account  continues : “ These  are  the 
residence  of  a little  animal,  called  by  the  French  petit 
chien  (little  dog),  which  sit  erect  near  the  mouth,  and 
make  a whistling  noise,  but,  when  alarmed,  take  refuge  in 
their  holes.  In  order  to  bring  them  out  we  poured  into 
one  of  the  holes  five  barrels  of  water  without  filling  it,  but 
we  dislodged  and  caught  the  owner.  After  digging  down 
another  of  the  holes  for  six  feet,  we  found,  on  running  a 
pole  into  it,  that  we  had  not  yet  dug  half-way  to  the  bot- 
tom : we  discovered,  however,  two  frogs  in  the  hole,  and 
near  it  we  killed  a dark  rattlesnake,  which  had  swallowed  a 
small  prairie  dog.  We  were  also  informed,  though  we 
never  witnessed  the  fact,  that  a sort  of  lizard  and  a snake 
live  habitually  with  these  animals.  The  petit  Men  are 
justly  named,  as  they  resemble  a small  dog  in  some  par- 
ticulars, although  they  have  also  some  points  of  similarity 
to  the  squirrel.  The  head  resembles  the  squirrel  in  every 
respect,  except  that  the  ear  is  shorter ; the  tail  like  that  of 
the  ground  squirrel ; the  toe  nails  are  long,  the  fur  is  fine, 
and  the  long  hair  is  gray.” 

Great  confusion  has  been  caused  in  the  minds  of  read- 
ers on  account  of  there  being  another  burrowing  animal, 
called  by  Lewis  and  Clark  “ the  burrowing  squirrel,”  which 


3° 


First  Across  the  Continent 


resembles  the  petit  chien  in  some  respects.  But  the  little 
animal  described  here  is  now  well  known  as  the  prairie- 
dog,  — an  unfortunate  and  misleading  name.  It  is  in  no 
sense  a species  of  dog.  The  creature  commonly  weighs 
about  three  pounds,  and  its  note  resembles  that  of  a toy- 
dog.  It  is  a species  of  marmot ; it  subsists  on  grass  roots 
and  other  vegetable  products;  its  flesh  is  delicate  and, 
when  fat,  of  good  flavor.  The  writer  of  these  lines,  when 
crossing  the  great  plains,  in  early  times,  found  the  “ prairie- 
dogs  ” excellent  eating,  but  difficult  to  kill ; they  are  ex- 
pert at  diving  into  their  holes  at  the  slightest  signal  of 
danger. 

The  following  days  they  saw  large  herds  of  buffalo,  and 
the  copses  of  timber  appeared  to  contain  elk  and  deer. 
“ Just  below  Cedar  Island,”  adds  the  journal,  “ on  a hill  to 
the  south,  is  the  backbone  of  a fish,  forty-five  feet  long, 
tapering  towards  the  tail,  and  in  a perfect  state  of  petrifac- 
tion, fragments  of  which  were  collected  and  sent  to  Wash- 
ington.” This  was  not  a fish,  but  the  fossil  remains  of  a 
reptile  of  one  of  the  earliest  geological  periods.  Here, 
too,  the  party  saw  immense  herds  of  buffalo,  thousands  in 
number,  some  of  which  they  killed  for  their  meat  and 
skins.  They  also  saw  elk,  deer,  turkeys,  grouse,  beaver, 
and  prairie-dogs.  The  journal  bitterly  complains  of  the 
“ moschetoes,”  which  were  very  troublesome.  As  mosqui- 
toes we  now  know  them. 

Oddly  enough,  the  journal  sometimes  speaks  of  “ goats  ” 
and  sometimes  of  “ antelopes,”  and  the  same  animal  is 
described  in  both  instances.  Here  is  a good  story  of  the 
fleetness  of  the  beautiful  creature : — 

“ Of  all  the  animals  we  had  seen,  the  antelope  seems  to 
possess  the  most  wonderful  fleetness.  Shy  and  timorous, 
they  generally  repose  only  on  the  ridges,  which  command 


Novel  Experiences  among  the  Indians  31 


a view  of  all  the  approaches  of  an  enemy : the  acuteness 
of  their  sight  distinguishes  the  most  distant  danger;  the 
delicate  sensibility  of  their  smell  defeats  the  precautions  of 
concealment ; and,  when  alarmed,  their  rapid  career  seems 
more  like  the  flight  of  birds  than  the  movements  of  a 
quadruped.  After  many  unsuccessful  attempts,  Captain 
Lewis  at  last,  by  winding  around  the  ridges,  approached  a 
party  of  seven,  which  were  on  an  eminence  towards  which 
the  wind  was  unfortunately  blowing.  The  only  male  of 
the  party  frequently  encircled  the  summit  of  the  hill,  as  if 
to  announce  any  danger  to  the  females,  which  formed  a 
group  at  the  top.  Although  they  did  not  see  Captain 
Lewis,  the  smell  alarmed  them,  and  they  fled  when  he  was 
at  the  distance  of  two  hundred  yards : he  immediately  ran 
to  the  spot  where  they  had  been ; a ravine  concealed  them 
from  him ; but  the  next  moment  they  appeared  on  a sec- 
ond ridge,  at  the  distance  of  three  miles.  He  doubted 
whether  they  could  be  the  same;  but  their  number,  and 
the  extreme  rapidity  with  which  they  continued  their 
course,  convinced  him  that  they  must  have  gone  with  a 
speed  equal  to  that  of  the  most  distinguished  race-horse. 
Among  our  acquisitions  to-day  were  a mule-deer,  a mag- 
pie, a common  deer,  and  buffalo : Captain  Lewis  also  saw 
a hare,  and  killed  a rattlesnake  near  the  burrows  of  the 
barking  squirrels.” 

By  “ barking  squirrels  ” the  reader  must  understand  that 
the  animal  better  known  as  the  prairie-dog  is  meant ; and 
the  mule-deer,  as  the  explorers  called  it,  was  not  a hybrid, 
but  a deer  with  very  long  ears,  better  known  afterwards  as 
“ the  black-tailed  deer.” 

At  the  Big  Bend  of  the  Missouri,  in  the  heart  of  what  is 
now  South  Dakota,  while  camped  on  a sand-bar,  the  ex- 
plorers had  a startling  experience.  “ Shortly  after  mid- 


32 


First  Across  the  Continent 


night,”  says  the  journal,  “ the  sleepers  were  startled  by  the 
sergeant  on  guard  crying  out  that  the  sand-bar  was  sinking, 
and  the  alarm  was  timely  given ; for  scarcely  had  they  got 
off  with  the  boats  before  the  bank  under  which  they  had 
been  lying  fell  in ; and  by  the  time  the  opposite  shore  was 
reached,  the  ground  on  which  they  had  been  encamped 
sunk  also.  A man  who  was  sent  to  step  off  the  distance 
across  the  head  of  the  bend,  made  it  but  two  thousand 
yards,  while  its  circuit  is  thirty  miles.” 

The  next  day,  three  Sioux  boys  swam  the  river  and  told 
them  that  two  parties  of  their  nation,  one  of  eighty  lodges, 
and  one  of  sixty  lodges,  were  camped  up  the  river,  waiting 
to  have  a palaver  with  the  white  explorers.  These  were 
Teton  Sioux,  and  the  river  named  for  them  still  bears  that 
title. 


Chapter  V 

From  the  Tetons  to  the  Mandans 


“ the  morning  of  September  25th,”  says  the  journal, 

“ we  raised  a flagstaff  and  an  awning,  under  which 
we  assembled,  with  all  the  party  parading  under  arms. 
The  chiefs  and  warriors,  from  the  camps  two  miles  up  the 
river,  met  us,  about  fifty  or  sixty  in  number,  and  after 
smoking  we  delivered  them  a speech ; but  as  our  Sioux 
interpreter,  M.  Durion,  had  been  left  with  the  Yanktons, 
we  were  obliged  to  make  use  of  a Frenchman  who  could 
not  speak  fluently,  and  therefore  we  curtailed  our  harangue. 
After  this  we  went  through  the  ceremony  of  acknowledging 
the  chiefs,  by  giving  to  the  grand  chief  a medal,  a flag  of 
the  United  States,  a laced  uniform  coat,  a cocked  hat  and 
feather;  to  the  two  other  chiefs,  a medal  and  some  small 
presents ; and  to  two  warriors  of  consideration,  certificates. 
The  name  of  the  great  chief  is  Untongasabaw,  or  Black 
Buffalo ; the  second,  Tortohonga,  or  the  Partisan ; the 
third,  Tartongawaka,  or  Buffalo  Medicine;  the  name  of 
one  of  the  warriors  was  Wawzinggo ; that  of  the  second, 
Matocoquepa,  or  Second  Bear.  We  then  invited  the 
chiefs  on  board,  and  showed  them  the  boat,  the  air-gun, 
and  such  curiosities  as  we  thought  might  amuse  them.  In 
this  we  succeeded  too  well ; for,  after  giving  them  a quarter 
of  a glass  of  whiskey,  which  they  seemed  to  like  very 
much,  and  sucked  the  bottle,  it  was  with  much  difficulty 
that  we  could  get  rid  of  them.  They  at  last  accompanied 

3 


34 


First  Across  the  Continent 


Captain  Clark  on  shore,  in  a pirogue  with  five  men ; but  it 
seems  they  had  formed  a design  to  stop  us ; for  no  sooner 
had  the  party  landed  than  three  of  the  Indians  seized  the 
cable  of  the  pirogue,  and  one  of  the  soldiers  of  the  chief 
put  his  arms  round  the  mast.  The  second  chief,  who  af- 
fected intoxication,  then  said  that  we  should  not  go  on; 
that  they  had  not  received  presents  enough  from  us. 
Captain  Clark  told  him  that  he  would  not  be  prevented 
from  going  on;  that  we  were  not  squaws,  but  warriors; 
that  we  were  sent  by  our  great  father,  who  could  in  a 
moment  exterminate  them.  The  chief  replied  that  he  too 
had  wrarriors,  and  was  proceeding  to  offer  personal  violence 
to  Captain  Clark,  who  immediately  drew  his  sword,  and 
made  a signal  to  the  boat  to  prepare  for  action.  The 
Indians,  who  surrounded  him,  drew  their  arrows  from  their 
quivers,  and  were  bending  their  bows,  when  the  swivel  in 
the  boat  was  instantly  pointed  towards  them,  and  twelve  of 
our  most  determined  men  jumped  into  the  pirogue  and 
joined  Captain  Clark.  This  movement  made  an  impression 
on  them,  for  the  grand  chief  ordered  the  young  men  away 
from  the  pirogue,  and  they  withdrew  and  held  a short 
council  with  the  warriors.  Being  unwilling  to  irritate  them, 
Captain  Clark  then  went  forward,  and  offered  his  hand  to 
the  first  and  second  chiefs,  who  refused  to  take  it.  He 
then  turned  from  them  and  got  into  the  pirogue ; but  he 
had  not  got  more  than  ten  paces,  when  both  the  chiefs  and 
two  of  the  warriors  waded  in  after  him,  and  he  brought 
them  on  board.  We  then  proceeded  on  for  a mile,  and 
anchored  off  a willow  island,  which,  from  the  circum- 
stances which  had  just  occurred,  we  called  Bad-humored 
Island.” 

The  policy  of  firmness  and  gentleness,  which  Lewis  and 
Clark  always  pursued  when  treating  with  the  Indians,  had 


From  the  Tetons  to  the  Mandans 


35 


its  good  results  at  this  time.  What  might  have  been  a 
bloody  encounter  was  averted,  and  next  day  the  Indians 
contritely  came  into  camp  and  asked  that  their  squaws  and 
children  might  see  the  white  men  and  their  boats,  which 
would  be  to  them  a novel  sight.  This  was  agreed  to,  and 
after  the  expedition  had  sailed  up  the  river  and  had  been 
duly  admired  by  a great  crowd  of  men,  women,  and 
children,  the  Tetons  invited  the  white  men  to  a dance. 
The  journal  adds  : — 

“ Captains  Lewis  and  Clark,  who  went  on  shore  one  after 
the  other,  were  met  on  landing  by  ten  well-dressed  young 
men,  who  took  them  up  in  a robe  highly  decorated  and 
carried  them  to  a large  council-house,  where  they  were 
placed  on  a dressed  buffalo-skin  by  the  side  of  the  grand 
chief.  The  hall  or  council-room  was  in  the  shape  of  three- 
quarters  of  a circle,  covered  at  the  top  and  sides  with  skins 
well  dressed  and  sewed  together.  Under  this  shelter  sat 
about  seventy  men,  forming  a circle  round  the  chief,  before 
whom  were  placed  a Spanish  flag  and  the  one  we  had  given 
them  yesterday.  This  left  a vacant  circle  of  about  six  feet 
diameter,  in  which  the  pipe  of  peace  was  raised  on  two 
forked  sticks,  about  six  or  eight  inches  from  the  ground, 
and  under  it  the  down  of  the  swan  was  scattered.  A large 
fire,  in  which  they  were  cooking  provisions,  stood  near,  and 
in  the  centre  about  four  hundred  pounds  of  buffalo  meat  as 
a present  for  us.  As  soon  as  we  were  seated,  an  old  man 
got  up,  and  after  approving  what  we  had  done,  begged 
us  take  pity  on  their  unfortunate  situation.  To  this  we  re- 
plied with  assurances  of  protection.  After  he  had  ceased, 
the  great  chief  rose  and  delivered  a harangue  to  the  same 
effect ; then  with  great  solemnity  he  took  some  of  the  most 
delicate  parts  of  the  dog  which  was  cooked  for  the  festival, 
and  held  it  to  the  flag  by  way  of  sacrifice ; this  done,  he 


36 


First  Across  the  Continent 


held  up  the  pipe  of  peace,  and  first  pointed  it  toward  the 
heavens,  then  to  the  four  quarters  of  the  globe,  then  to  the 
earth,  made  a short  speech,  lighted  the  pipe,  and  presented 
it  to  us.  We  smoked,  and  he  again  harangued  his  people, 
after  which  the  repast  was  served  up  to  us.  It  consisted  of 
the  dog  which  they  had  just  been  cooking,  this  being  a 
great  dish  among  the  Sioux,  and  used  on  all  festivals ; to 
this  were  added  pemitigon,  a dish  made  of  buffalo  meat, 
dried  or  jerked,  and  then  pounded  and  mixed  raw  with 
grease  and  a kind  of  ground  potato,  dressed  like  the 
preparation  of  Indian  corn  called  hominy,  to  which  it 
is  little  inferior.  Of  all  these  luxuries,  which  were  placed 
before  us  in  platters  with  horn  spoons,  we  took  the  pemiti- 
gon and  the  potato,  which  we  found  good,  but  we  could 
as  yet  partake  but  sparingly  of  the  dog.” 

The  “ pemitigon  ” mentioned  here  is  better  known  as 
pemmican,  a sort  of  dried  meat,  which  may  be  eaten  as 
prepared,  or  pounded  fine  and  cooked  with  other  articles 
of  food.  This  festival  concluded  with  a grand  dance,  which 
at  midnight  wound  up  the  affair. 

As  the  description  of  these  Tetons,  given  by  Lewis  and 
Clark,  will  give  the  reader  a good  idea  of  the  manners, 
customs,  and  personal  appearance  of  most  of  the  Sioux 
nation,  we  will  copy  the  journal  in  full.  It  is  as  follows : 

“ The  tribe  which  we  this  day  saw  are  a part  of  the  great 
Sioux  nation,  and  are  known  by  the  name  of  the  Teton 
Okandandas : they  are  about  two  hundred  men  in  number, 
and  their  chief  residence  is  on  both  sides  of  the  Missouri, 
between  the  Chayenne  and  Teton  Rivers.  In  their  persons 
they  are  rather  ugly  and  ill-made,  their  legs  and  arms  being 
too  small,  their  cheek-bones  high,  and  their  eyes  project- 
ing. The  females,  with  the  same  character  of  form,  are 
more  handsome;  and  both  sexes  appear  cheerful  and 


From  the  Tetons  to  the  Mandans 


37 


sprightly ; but  in  our  intercourse  with  them  we  discovered 
that  they  were  cunning  and  vicious. 

“ The  men  shave  the  hair  off  their  heads,  except  a small 
tuft  on  the  top,  which  they  suffer  to  grow,  and  wear  in 
plaits  over  the  shoulders ; to  this  they  seem  much  attached, 
as  the  loss  of  it  is  the  usual  sacrifice  at  the  death  of  near 
relations.  In  full  dress,  the  men  of  consideration  wear  a 
hawk’s  feather,  or  calumet  feather  worked  with  porcupine 
quills,  and  fastened  to  the  top  of  the  head,  from  which  it 
falls  back.  The  face  and  body  are  generally  painted  with 
a mixture  of  grease  and  coal.  Over  the  shoulders  is  a loose 
robe  or  mantle  of  buffalo  skin  dressed  white,  adorned  with 
porcupine  quills,  loosely  fixed,  so  as  to  make  a jingling 
noise  when  in  motion,  and  painted  with  various  uncouth 
figures,  unintelligible  to  us,  but  to  them  emblematic  of 
military  exploits  or  any  other  incident:  the  hair  of  the 
robe  is  worn  next  the  skin  in  fair  weather,  but  when  it  rains 
the  hair  is  put  outside,  and  the  robe  is  either  thrown  over 
the  arm  or  wrapped  round  the  body,  all  of  which  it  may 
cover.  Under  this,  in  the  winter  season,  they  wear  a kind 
of  shirt  resembling  ours,  made  either  of  skin  or  cloth,  and 
covering  the  arms  and  body.  Round  the  middle  is  fixed  a 
girdle  of  cloth,  or  procured  dressed  elk-skin,  about  an  inch 
in  width,  and  closely  tied  to  the  body;  to  this  is  attached 
a piece  of  cloth,  or  blanket,  or  skin,  about  a foot  wide, 
which  passes  between  the  legs,  and  is  tucked  under  the 
girdle  both  before  and  behind.  From  the  hip  to  the  ankle 
is  covered  by  leggins  of  dressed  antelope  skins,  with  seams 
at  the  sides  two  inches  in  width,  and  ornamented  by  little 
tufts  of  hair,  the  produce  of  the  scalps  they  have  made  in 
war,  which  are  scattered  down  the  leg.  The  winter  moc- 
casins are  of  dressed  buffalo  skin,  the  hair  being  worn 
inward,  and  soled  with  thick  elk-skin  parchment ; those  for 


38  First  Across  the  Continent 


summer  are  of  deer  or  elk-skin,  dressed  without  the  hair, 
and  with  soles  of  elk-skin.  On  great  occasions,  or  when- 
ever they  are  in  full  dress,  the  young  men  drag  after  them 
the  entire  skin  of  a polecat  fixed  to  the  heel  of  the  mocca- 
sin. Another  skin  of  the  same  animal,  either  tucked  into 
the  girdle  or  carried  in  the  hand,  serves  as  a pouch  for  their 
tobacco,  or  what  the  French  traders  call  bois  roule.1  This 
is  the  inner  bark  of  a species  of  red  willow,  which,  being 
dried  in  the  sun  or  over  the  fire,  is  rubbed  between  the 
hands  and  broken  into  small  pieces,  and  used  alone  or 
mixed  with  tobacco.  The  pipe  is  generally  of  red  earth, 
the  stem  made  of  ash,  about  three  or  four  feet  long,  and 
highly  decorated  with  feathers,  hair,  and  porcupine-quills. 

“ While  on  shore  to-day  we  witnessed  a quarrel  between 
two  squaws,  which  appeared  to  be  growing  every  moment 
more  boisterous,  when  a man  came  forward,  at  whose 
approach  every  one  seemed  terrified  and  ran.  He  took 
the  squaws  and  without  any  ceremony  whipped  them 
severely.  On  inquiring  into  the  nature  of  such  summary 
justice,  we  learned  that  this  man  was  an  officer  well  known 
to  this  and  many  other  tribes.  His  duty  is  to  keep  the 
peace,  and  the  whole  interior  police  of  the  village  is  con- 
fided to  two  or  three  of  these  officers,  who  are  named  by 
the  chief  and  remain  in  power  some  days,  at  least  till  the 
chief  appoints  a successor.  They  seem  to  be  a sort  of 
constable  or  sentinel,  since  they  are  always  on  the  watch 
to  keep  tranquillity  during  the  day  and  guard  the  camp  in 
the  night.  The  short  duration  of  the  office  is  compensated 
by  its  authority.  His  power  is  supreme,  and  in  the  sup- 

1 This  is  bois  roule , or  “ rolled  wood,”  a poor  kind  of  tobacco  rolled 
with  various  kinds  of  leaves,  such  as  the  sumach  and  dogwood.  The 
Indian  name  is  kinnikinick. 


From  the  Tetons  to  the  Mandans 


39 


pression  of  any  riot  or  disturbance  no  resistance  to  him  is 
suffered ; his  person  is  sacred,  and  if  in  the  execution  of 
his  duty  he  strikes  even  a chief  of  the  second  class,  he 
cannot  be  punished  for  this  salutary  insolence.  In  general 
he  accompanies  the  person  of  the  chief,  and  when  ordered 
to  any  duty,  however  dangerous,  it  is  a point  of  honor 
rather  to  die  than  to  refuse  obedience.  Thus,  when  they 
attempted  to  stop  us  yesterday,  the  chief  ordered  one  of 
these  men  to  take  possession  of  the  boat;  he  immediately 
put  his  arms  around  the  mast,  and,  as  we  understood,  no 
force  except  the  command  of  the  chief  would  have  induced 
him  to  release  his  hold.  Like  the  other  men  his  body  is 
blackened,  but  his  distinguishing  mark  is  a collection  of 
two  or  three  raven-skins  fixed  to  the  girdle  behind  the 
back  in  such  a way  that  the  tails  stick  out  horizontally 
from  the  body.  On  his  head,  too,  is  a raven-skin  split  into 
two  parts,  and  tied  so  as  to  let  the  beak  project  from  the 
forehead.” 

When  the  party  of  explorers  subsequently  made  ready  to 
leave,  signs  of  reluctance  to  have  them  go  were  apparent 
among  the  Indians.  Finally,  several  of  the  chief  warriors 
sat  on  the  rope  that  held  the  boat  to  the  shore.  Irritated 
by  this,  Captain  Lewis  got  ready  to  fire  upon  the  warriors, 
but,  anxious  to  avoid  bloodshed,  he  gave  them  more 
tobacco,  which  they  wanted,  and  then  said  to  the  chief, 
“ You  have  told  us  that  you  were  a great  man,  and  have 
influence ; now  show  your  influence  by  taking  the  rope 
from  those  men,  and  we  will  then  go  on  without  further 
trouble.”  This  appeal  to  the  chieftain’s  pride  had  the 
desired  effect.  The  warriors  were  compelled  to  give  up 
the  rope,  which  was  delivered  on  board,  and  the  party  set 
sail  with  a fresh  breeze  from  the  southeast. 

The  explorers  were  soon  out  of  the  country  of  the  Teton 


4o 


First  Across  the  Continent 


Sioux  and  into  that  of  the  Ricaras,  or,  as  these  Indians  are 
more  commonly  called,  the  Rickarees. 

On  the  first  day  of  October  they  passed  the  mouth  of  a 
river  incorrectly  known  as  Dog  River,  as  if  corrupted  from 
the  French  word  chien.  But  the  true  name  is  Cheyenne, 
from  the  Indians  who  bear  that  title.  The  stream  rises  in 
the  region  called  the  Black  Mountains  by  Lewis  and  Clark, 
on  account  of  the  great  quantity  of  dark  cedar  and  pine 
trees  that  covered  the  hills.  This  locality  is  now  known  as 
the  Black  Hills,  in  the  midst  of  which  is  the  famous  mining 
district  of  Deadwood.  In  these  mountains,  according  to 
Lewis  and  Clark,  were  to  be  found  “ great  quantities  of 
goats,  white  bear,  prairie  cocks,  and  a species  of  animal 
which  resembled  a small  elk,  with  large  circular  horns.” 
By  the  “ white  bear  ” the  reader  must  understand  that  the 
grizzly  bear  is  meant.  Although  this  animal,  which  was 
first  discovered  and  described  by  Lewis  and  Clark,  is  com- 
monly referred  to  in  the  earlier  pages  of  the  journal  as 
“ white,”  the  error  naturally  came  from  a desire  to  distin- 
guish it  from  the  black  and  the  cinnamon-colored  bears. 
Afterwards,  the  journal  refers  to  this  formidable  creature 
as  the  grizzly,  and  again  as  the  grisly.  Certainly,  the 
bear  was  a grizzled  gray ; but  the  name  “ grisly,”  that  is  to 
say,  horrible,  or  frightful,  fitted  him  very  well.  The  Latin 
name,  ursns  horribilis , is  not  unlike  one  of  those  of  Lewis 
and  Clark’s  selection.  The  animals  with  circular  curled 
horns,  which  the  explorers  thought  resembled  a small  elk, 
are  now  known  as  the  Rocky  Mountain  sheep,  or  bighorn. 
They  very  little  resemble  sheep,  however,  except  in  color, 
head,  horns,  and  feet.  They  are  now  so  scarce  as  to  be 
almost  extinct.  They  were  among  the  discoveries  of 
Lewis  and  Clark.  The  prairie  cock  is  known  to  western 
sportsmen  as  “ prairie  chicken ; ” it  is  a species  of  grouse. 


From  the  Tetons  to  the  Mandans 


4i 


It  was  now  early  in  October,  and  the  weather  became 
very  cool.  So  great  is  the  elevation  of  those  regions  that, 
although  the  days  might  be  oppressively  warm,  the  nights 
were  cold  and  white  frosts  were  frequent.  Crossing  the 
Rocky  Mountains  at  the  South  Pass,  far  south  of  Lewis 
and  Clark’s  route,  emigrants  who  suffered  from  intense 
heat  during  the  middle  of  day  found  water  in  their  pails 
frozen  solid  in  the  morning. 

The  Rickarees  were  very  curious  and  inquisitive  regard- 
ing the  white  men.  But  the  journal  adds:  “ The  object 
which  appeared  to  astonish  the  Indians  most  was  Captain 
Clark’s  servant  York,  a remarkably  stout,  strong  negro. 
They  had  never  seen  a being  of  that  color,  and  therefore 
flocked  round  him  to  examine  the  extraordinary  monster. 
By  way  of  amusement,  he  told  them  that  he  had  once 
been  a wild  animal,  and  been  caught  and  tamed  by  his 
master ; and  to  convince  them,  showed  them  feats  of 
strength  which,  added  to  his  looks,  made  him  more  ter- 
rible than  we  wished  him  to  be.” 

“ On  October  10th,”  says  the  journal,  “ the  weather  was 
fine,  and  as  we  were  desirous  of  assembling  the  whole 
nation  a tonce,  we  despatched  Mr.  Gravelines  (a  trader)  — 
who,  with  Mr.  Tabeau,  another  French  trader,  had  break- 
fasted with  us  — to  invite  the  chiefs  of  the  two  upper 
villages  to  a conference.  They  all  assembled  at  one 
o’clock,  and  after  the  usual  ceremonies  we  addressed  them 
in  the  same  way  in  which  we  had  already  spoken  to  the 
Ottoes  and  Sioux.  We  then  made  or  acknowledged  three 
chiefs,  one  for  each  of  the  three  villages;  giving  to  each 
a flag,  a medal,  a red  coat,  a cocked  hat  and  feather,  also 
some  goods,  paint  and  tobacco,  which  they  divided  among 
themselves.  After  this  the  air-gun  was  exhibited,  very 
much  to  their  astonishment,  nor  were  they  less  surprised 


42 


First  Across  the  Continent 


at  the  color  and  manner  of  York.  On  our  side  we  were 
equally  gratified  at  discovering  that  these  Ricaras  made 
use  of  no  spirituous  liquors  of  any  kind,  the  example  of 
the  traders  who  bring  it  to  them,  so  far  from  tempting, 
having  in  fact  disgusted  them.  Supposing  that  it  was  as 
agreeable  to  them  as  to  the  other  Indians,  we  had  at  first 
offered  them  whiskey ; but  they  refused  it  with  this  sensible 
remark,  that  they  were  surprised  that  their  father  should 
present  to  them  a liquor  which  would  make  them  fools. 
On  another  occasion  they  observed  to  Mr.  Tabeau  that 
no  man  could  be  their  friend  who  tried  to  lead  them  into 
such  follies.” 

Presents  were  exchanged  by  the  Indians  and  the  white 
men ; among  the  gifts  from  the  former  was  a quantity  of  a 
large,  rich  bean,  which  grows  wild  and  is  collected  by 
mice.  The  Indians  hunt  for  the  mice’s  deposits  and  cook 
and  eat  them.  The  Rickarees  had  a grand  powwow  with 
the  white  chiefs  and,  after  accepting  presents,  agreed  to 
preserve  peace  with  all  men,  red  or  white.  On  the  thir- 
teenth of  the  month  the  explorers  discovered  a stream  which 
they  named  Stone-Idol  Creek,  on  account  of  two  stones, 
resembling  human  figures,  which  adorn  its  banks.  The 
creek  is  now  known  as  Spring  River,  and  is  in  Campbell 
County,  South  Dakota.  Concerning  the  stone  images  the 
Indians  gave  this  tradition : — 

“ A young  man  was  deeply  enamoured  with  a girl  whose 
parents  refused  their  consent  to  the  marriage.  The  youth 
went  out  into  the  fields  to  mourn  his  misfortunes ; a sym- 
pathy of  feeling  led  the  lady  to  the  same  spot,  and  the 
faithful  dog  would  not  cease  to  follow  his  master.  After 
wandering  together  and  having  nothing  but  grapes  to  sub- 
sist on,  they  were  at  last  converted  into  stone,  which, 
beginning  at  the  feet,  gradually  invaded  the  nobler  parts, 


From  the  Tetons  to  the  Mandans 


43 


leaving  nothing  unchanged  but  a bunch  of  grapes  which 
the  female  holds  in  her  hand  to  this  day.  Whenever  the 
Ricaras  pass  these  sacred  stones,  they  stop  to  make  some 
offering  of  dress  to  propitiate  these  deities.  Such  is  the 
account  given  by  the  Ricara  chief,  which  we  had  no  mode 
of  examining,  except  that  we  found  one  part  of  the  story 
very  agreeably  confirmed ; for  on  the  river  near  where  the 
event  is  said  to  have  occurred  we  found  a greater  abund- 
ance of  fine  grapes  than  we  had  yet  seen.” 

While  at  their  last  camp  in  the  country  now  known  as 
South  Dakota,  October  14,  1804,  one  of  the  soldiers,  tried 
by  a court-martial  for  mutinous  conduct,  was  sentenced 
to  receive  seventy-five  lashes  on  the  bare  back.  The  sen- 
tence was  carried  out  then  and  there.  The  Rickaree  chief, 
who  accompanied  the  party  for  a time,  was  so  affected  by 
the  sight  that  he  cried  aloud  during  the  whole  proceeding. 
When  the  reasons  for  the  punishment  were  explained  to 
him,  he  acknowledged  the  justice  of  the  sentence,  but 
said  he  would  have  punished  the  offender  with  death. 
His  people,  he  added,  never  whip  even  their  children  at 
any  age  whatever. 

On  the  eighteenth  of  October,  the  party  reached  Can- 
nonball River,  which  rises  in  the  Black  Hills  and  empties 
in  the  Missouri  in  Morton  County,  North  Dakota.  Its 
name  is  derived  from  the  perfectly  round,  smooth,  black 
stones  that  line  its  bed  and  shores.  Here  they  saw  great 
numbers  of  antelope  and  herds  of  buffalo,  and  of  elk. 
They  killed  six  fallow  deer;  and  next  day  they  counted 
fifty-two  herds  of  buffalo  and  three  herds  of  elk  at  one 
view ; they  also  observed  deer,  wolves,  and  pelicans  in 
large  numbers. 

The  ledges  in  the  bluffs  along  the  river  often  held  nests 
of  the  calumet  bird,  or  golden  eagle.  These  nests,  which 


44 


First  Across  the  Continent 


are  apparently  resorted  to,  year  after  year,  by  the  same 
pair  of  birds,  are  usually  out  of  reach,  except  by  means  of 
ropes  by  which  the  hunters  are  let  down  from  the  cliffs 
overhead.  The  tail-feathers  of  the  bird  are  twelve  in 
number,  about  a foot  long,  and  are  pure  white  except  at 
the  tip,  which  is  .jet-black.  So  highly  prized  are  these  by 
the  Indians  that  they  have  been  known  to  exchange  a 
good  horse  for  two  feathers. 

The  party  saw  here  a great  many  elk,  deer,  antelope, 
and  buffalo,  and  these  last  were  dogged  along  their  way 
by  wolves  who  follow  them  to  feed  upon  those  that  die 
by  accident,  or  are  too  weak  to  keep  up  with  the  herd. 
Sometimes  the  wolves  would  pounce  upon  a calf,  too 
young  and  feeble  to  trot  with  the  other  buffalo ; and  al- 
though the  mother  made  an  effort  to  save  her  calf,  the 
creature  was  left  to  the  hungry  wolves,  the  herd  moving 
along  without  delay. 

On  the  twenty-first  of  October,  the  explorers  reached 
a creek  to  which  the  Indians  gave  the  name  of  Chisshetaw, 
now  known  as  Heart  River,  which,  rising  in  Stark  County, 
North  Dakota,  and  running  circuitously  through  Morton 
County,  empties  into  the  Missouri  opposite  the  city  of  Bis- 
marck. At  this  point  the  Northern  Pacific  Railway  now 
crosses  the  Missouri ; and  here,  where  is  built  the  capital 
of  North  Dakota,  began,  in  those  days,  a series  of  Mandan 
villages,  with  the  people  of  which  the  explorers  were  to 
become  tolerably  well  acquainted ; for  it  had  been  decided 
that  the  increasing  cold  of  the  weather  would  compel  them 
to  winter  in  this  region.  But  they  were  as  yet  uncertain 
as  to  the  exact  locality  at  which  they  would  build  their 
camp  of  winter.  Here  they  met  one  of  the  grand  chiefs 
of  the  Mandans,  who  was  on  a hunting  excursion  with  his 
braves.  This  chief  greeted  with  much  ceremony  the 


From  the  Tetons  to  the  Mandans 


45 


Rickaree  chief  who  accompanied  the  exploring  party. 
The  Mandans  and  Rickarees  were  ancient  enemies,  but, 
following  the  peaceful  councils  of  the  white  men,  the 
chiefs  professed  amity  and  smoked  together  the  pipe  of 
peace.  A son  of  the  Mandan  chief  was  observed  to  have 
lost  both  of  his  little  fingers,  and  when  the  strangers  asked 
how  this  happened,  they  were  told  that  the  fingers  had 
been  cut  off  (according  to  the  Mandan  custom)  to  show 
the  grief  of  the  young  man  at  the  loss  of  some  of  his 
relations. 


Chapter  VI 

Winter  among  the  Mandans 

BEFORE  finally  selecting  the  spot  on  which  to  build 
their  winter  quarters,  Lewis  and  Clark  held  councils 
with  the  chiefs  of  the  tribes  who  were  to  be  their  neighbors 
during  the  cold  season.  These  were  Mandans,  Annaha- 
ways,  and  Minnetarees,  tribes  living  peacefully  in  the  same 
region  of  country.  The  principal  Mandan  chief  was  Black 
Cat;  White  Buffalo  Robe  Unfolded  represented  the  Anna- 
haways,  and  the  Minnetaree  chief  was  Black  Moccasin. 
This  last-named  chief  could  not  come  to  the  council,  but 
was  represented  by  Caltahcota,  or  Cherry  on  a Bush.  The 
palaver  being  over,  presents  were  distributed.  The  account 
says : — 

“ One  chief  of  each  town  was  acknowledged  by  a gift  of 
a flag,  a medal  with  the  likeness  of  the  President  of  the 
United  States,  a uniform  coat,  hat  and  feather.  To  the 
second  chiefs  we  gave  a medal  representing  some  domestic 
animals  and  a loom  for  weaving;  to  the  third  chiefs, 
medals  with  the  impressions  of  a farmer  sowing  grain.  A 
variety  of  other  presents  were  distributed,  but  none  seemed 
to  give  them  more  satisfaction  than  an  iron  corn-mill  which 
we  gave  to  the  Mandans. 

“ In  the  evening  the  prairie  took  fire,  either  by  accident 
or  design,  and  burned  with  great  fury,  the  whole  plain 
being  enveloped  in  flames.  So  rapid  was  its  progress  that 


Black  Moccasin 


Winter  among  the  Mandans 


47 


a man  and  a woman  were  burned  to  death  before  they 
could  reach  a place  of  safety ; another  man,  with  his  wife 
and  child,  were  much  burned,  and  several  other  persons 
narrowly  escaped  destruction.  Among  the  rest,  a boy  of 
the  half  white  breed  escaped  unhurt  in  the  midst  of  the 
flames ; his  safety  was  ascribed  to  the  great  medicine  spirit , 
who  had  preserved  him  on  account  of  his  being  white. 
But  a much  more  natural  cause  was  the  presence  of  mind 
of  his  mother,  who,  seeing  no  hopes  of  carrying  off  her 
son,  threw  him  on  the  ground,  and,  covering  him  with  the 
fresh  hide  of  a buffalo,  escaped  herself  from  the  flames. 
As  soon  as  the  fire  had  passed,  she  returned  and  found 
him  untouched,  the  skin  having  prevented  the  flame  from 
reaching  the  grass  on  which  he  lay.” 

Next  day,  says  the  journal,  — 

“ We  were  visited  by  two  persons  from  the  lower  village  : 
one,  the  Big  White,  the  chief  of  the  village ; the  other,  the 
Chayenne,  called  the  Big  Man : they  had  been  hunting, 
and  did  not  return  yesterday  early  enough  to  attend  the 
council.  At  their  request  we  repeated  part  of  our  speech 
of  yesterday,  and  put  the  medal  round  the  neck  of  the 
chief.  Captain  Clark  took  a pirogue  and  went  up  the 
river  in  search  of  a good  wintering-place,  and  returned 
after  going  seven  miles  to  the  lower  point  of  an  island  on 
the  north  side,  about  one  mile  in  length.  He  found  the 
banks  on  the  north  side  high,  with  coal  occasionally,  and 
the  country  fine  on  all  sides ; but  the  want  of  wood,  and 
the  scarcity  of  game  up  the  river,  induced  us  to  decide  on 
fixing  ourselves  lower  down  during  the  winter.  In  the 
evening  our  men  danced  among  themselves,  to  the  great 
amusement  of  the  Indians.” 

It  may  be  said  here  that  the  incident  of  a life  saved  from 
fire  by  a raw-hide,  originally  related  by  Lewis  and  Clark, 


48 


First  Across  the  Continent 


is  the  foundation  of  a great  many  similar  stories  of  adven- 
tures among  the  Indians.  Usually,  however,  it  is  a wise 
and  well-seasoned  white  trapper  who  saves  his  life  by  this 
device. 

Having  found  a good  site  for  their  winter  camp,  the 
explorers  now  built  a number  of  huts,  which  they  called 
Fort  Mandan.  The  place  was  on  the  north  bank  of  the 
Missouri  River,  in  what  is  now  McLean  County,  North 
Dakota,  about  sixteen  hundred  miles  up  the  river  from 
St.  Louis,  and  seven  or  eight  miles  below  the  mouth  of 
Big  Knife  River.  On  the  opposite  bank,  years  later,  the 
United  States  built  a military  post  known  as  Fort  Clark, 
which  may  be  found  on  some  of  the  present-day  maps. 
The  huts  were  built  of  logs,  and  were  arranged  in  two 
rows,  four  rooms  in  each  hut,  the  whole  number  being 
placed  in  the  form  of  an  angle,  with  a stockade,  or  picket, 
across  the  two  outer  ends  of  the  angle,  in  which  was  a gate, 
kept  locked  at  night.  The  roofs  of  the  huts  slanted  up- 
ward from  the  inner  side  of  the  rows,  making  the  outer 
side  of  each  hut  eighteen  feet  high ; and  the  lofts  of  these 
were  made  warm  and  comfortable  with  dry  grass  mixed 
with  clay.  Here  they  were  continually  visited  during  the 
winter  by  Indians  from  all  the  region  around.  Here,  too, 
they  secured  the  services  of  an  interpreter,  one  Chaboneau, 
who  continued  with  them  to  the  end.  This  man’s  wife, 
Sacajawea,  whose  Indian  name  was  translated  “ Bird 
Woman,”  had  been  captured  from  the  Snake  Indians  and 
sold  to  Chaboneau,  who  married  her.  She  was  “a  good^ 
creature,  of  a mild  and  gentle  disposition,  greatly  attached 
to  the  whites.”  In  the  expedition  she  proved  herself  more 
valuable  to  the  explorers  than  her  husband,  and  Lewis  and 
Clark  always  speak  of  her  in  terms  of  respect  and  admi- 
ration. 


Winter  among  the  Mandans 


49 


It  should  not  be  understood  that  all  the  interpreters 
employed  by  white  men  on  such  expeditions  wholly  knew 
the  spoken  language  of  the  tribes  among  whom  they  trav- 
elled. To  some  extent  they  relied  upon  the  universal  lan- 
guage of  signs  to  make  themselves  understood,  and  this 
method  of  talking  is  known  to  all  sorts  and  kinds  of  Indians. 
Thus,  two  fingers  of  the  right  hand  placed  astraddle  the 
wrist  of  the  left  hand  signifies  a man  on  horseback ; and 
the  number  of  men  on  horseback  is  quickly  added  by  hold- 
ing up  the  requisite  number  of  fingers.  Sleep  is  described 
by  gently  inclining  the  head  on  the  hand,  and  the  number 
of  “ sleeps,”  or  nights,  is  indicated  by  the  fingers.  Killed, 
or  dead,  is  described  by  closed  eyes  and  a sudden  fall  of 
the  head  on  the  talker’s  chest ; and  so  on,  an  easily  under- 
stood gesture,  with  a few  Indian  words,  being  sufficient  to 
tell  a long  story  very  clearly. 

Lewis  and  Clark  discovered  here  a species  of  ermine  be- 
fore unknown  to  science.  They  called  it  “ a weasel,  per- 
fectly white  except  at  the  extremity  of  the  tail,  which  was 
black.”  This  animal,  highly  prized  on  account  of  its  pretty 
fur,  was  not  scientifically  described  until  as  late  as  1829. 
It  is  a species  of  stoat. 

The  wars  of  some  of  the  Indian  tribes  gave  Lewis  and 
Clark  much  trouble  and  uneasiness.  The  Sioux  were  at 
war  with  the  Minnetarees  (Gros  Ventres,  or  Big  Bellies) ; 
and  the  Assiniboins,  who  lived  further  to  the  north,  con- 
tinually harassed  the  Sioux  and  the  Mandans,  treating 
these  as  the  latter  did  the  Rickarees.  The  white  chiefs 
had  their  hands  full  all  winter  while  trying  to  preserve 
peace  among  these  quarrelsome  and  thieving  tribes,  their 
favorite  game  being  to  steal  each  other’s  horses.  The 
Indian  method  of  caring  for  their  horses  in  the  cold  winter 
was  to  let  them  shift  for  themselves  during  the  day,  and 

4 


5° 


First  Across  the  Continent 


to  take  them  into  their  own  lodges  at  night  where  they 
were  fed  with  the  juicy,  brittle  twigs  of  the  cottonwood 
tree.  With  this  spare  fodder  the  animals  thrive  and  keep 
their  coats  fine  and  glossy. 

Late  in  November,  a collision  between  the  Sioux  and 
the  Mandans  became  almost  certain,  in  consequence  of  the 
Sioux  having  attacked  a small  hunting  party  of  the  Man- 
dans,  killing  one,  wounding  two,  and  capturing  nine  horses. 
Captain  Clark  mustered  and  armed  twenty-four  of  his  men, 
crossed  over  into  the  Mandan  village  and  offered  to  lead 
the  Indians  against  their  enemies.  The  offer  was  declined 
on  account  of  the  deep  snows  which  prevented  a march ; 
but  the  incident  made  friends  for  white  men,  and  the 
tidings  of  it  had  a wholesome  effect  on  the  other 
tribes. 

“ The  whole  religion  of  the  Mandans,”  like  that  of  many 
other  savage  tribes,  says  the  journal,  “ consists  in  the 
belief  of  one  Great  Spirit  presiding  over  their  destinies. 
This  Being  must  be  in  the  nature  of  a good  genius,  since 
it  is  associated  with  the  healing  art,  and  * great  spirit  * is 
synonymous  with  4 great  medicine,’  a name  applied  to 
everything  which  they  do  not  comprehend.  Each  indi- 
vidual selects  for  himself  the  particular  object  of  his  devo- 
tion, which  is  termed  his  medicine,  and  is  either  some 
invisible  being,  or  more  commonly  some  animal,  which 
thenceforward  becomes  his  protector  or  his  intercessor 
with  the  Great  Spirit,  to  propitiate  whom  every  attention 
is  lavished  and  every  personal  consideration  is  sacrificed. 

‘ I was  lately  owner  of  seventeen  horses,’  said  a Mandan  to 
us  one  day,  ‘ but  I have  offered  them  all  up  to  my  medi- 
cine and  am  now  poor.’  He  had  in  reality  taken  all  his 
wealth,  his  horses,  into  the  plain,  and,  turning  them  loose, 
committed  them  to  the  care  of  his  medicine  and  abandoned 


Winter  among  the  Mandans 


5i 


them  forever.  The  horses,  less  religious,  took  care  of 
themselves,  and  the  pious  votary  travelled  home  on 
foot.” 

To  this  day,  all  the  Northwest  Indians  speak  of  anything 
that  is  highly  useful  or  influential  as  “ great  medicine.” 

One  cold  December  day,  a Mandan  chief  invited  the 
explorers  to  join  them  in  a grand  buffalo  hunt.  The  jour- 
nal adds : — 

“ Captain  Clark  with  fifteen  men  went  out  and  found  the 
Indians  engaged  in  killing  buffalo.  The  hunters,  mounted 
on  horseback  and  armed  with  bows  and  arrows,  encircle 
the  herd  and  gradually  drive  them  into  a plain  or  an  open 
place  fit  for  the  movements  of  horse ; they  then  ride  in 
among  them,  and  singling  out  a buffalo,  a female  being 
preferred,  go  as  close  as  possible  and  wound  her  with 
arrows  till  they  think  they  have  given  the  mortal  stroke ; 
when  they  pursue  another,  till  the  quiver  is  exhausted.  If, 
which  rarely  happens,  the  wounded  buffalo  attacks  the 
hunter,  he  evades  his  blow  by  the  agility  of  his  horse, 
which  is  trained  for  the  combat  with  great  dexterity. 
When  they  have  killed  the  requisite  number  they  collect 
their  game,  and  the  squaws  and  attendants  come  up  from 
the  rear  and  skin  and  dress  the  animals.  Captain  Clark 
killed  ten  buffalo,  of  which  five  only  were  brought  to  the 
fort;  the  rest,  which  could  not  be  conveyed  home,  being 
seized  by  the  Indians,  among  whom  the  custom  is  that 
whenever  a buffalo  is  found  dead  without  an  arrow  or  any 
particular  mark,  he  is  the  property  of  the  finder;  so  that 
often  a hunter  secures  scarcely  any  of  the  game  he  kills,  if 
the  arrow  happens  to  fall  off.” 

The  weather  now  became  excessively  cold,  the  mercury 
often  going  thirty-two  degrees  below  zero.  Notwithstand- 
ing this,  however,  the  Indians  kept  up  their  outdoor  sports, 


52 


First  Across  the  Continent 


one  favorite  game  of  which  resembled  billiards.  But  in- 
stead of  a table,  the  players  had  an  open  flooring,  about 
fifty  yards  long,  and  the  balls  were  rings  of  stone,  shot 
along  the  flooring  by  means  of  sticks  like  billiard-cues. 
The  white  men  had  their  sports,  and  they  forbade  the 
Indians  to  visit  them  on  Christmas  Day,  as  this  was  one 
of  their  “ great  medicine  days.”  The  American  flag  was 
hoisted  on  the  fort  and  saluted  with  a volley  of  musketry. 
The  men  danced  among  themselves ; their  best  provisions 
were  brought  out  and  “ the  day  passed,”  says  the  journal, 
“ in  great  festivity.” 

The  party  also  celebrated  New  Year’s  Day  by  similar 
festivities.  Sixteen  of  the  men  were  given  leave  to  go  up 
to  the  first  Mandan  village  with  their  musical  instruments, 
where  they  delighted  the  whole  tribe  with  their  dances, 
one  of  the  French  voyageurs  being  especially  applauded 
when  he  danced  on  his  hands  with  his  head  downwards. 
The  dancers  and  musicians  were  presented  with  several 
buffalo-robes  and  a large  quantity  of  Indian  corn.  The 
cold  grew  more  intense,  and  on  the  tenth  of  the  month  the 
mercury  stood  at  forty  degrees  below  zero.  Some  of  the 
men  were  badly  frost-bitten,  and  a young  Indian,  about 
thirteen  years  old,  who  had  been  lost  in  the  snows,  came 
into  the  fort.  The  journal  says : — 

“ His  father,  who  came  last  night  to  inquire  after  him 
very  anxiously,  had  sent  him  in  the  afternoon  to  the  fort; 
he  was  overtaken  by  the  night,  and  was  obliged  to  sleep 
on  the  snow  with  no  covering  except  a pair  of  antelope- 
skin  moccasins  and  leggins,  and  a buffalo-robe.  His  feet 
being  frozen,  we  put  them  into  cold  water,  and  gave  him 
every  attention  in  our  power.  About  the  same  time  an 
Indian  who  had  also  been  missing  returned  to  the  fort. 
Although  his  dress  was  very  thin,  and  he  had  slept  on  the 


Winter  among  the  Mandans 


53 


snow  without  a fire,  he  had  not  suffered  the  slightest 
inconvenience.  We  have  indeed  observed  that  these  In- 
dians support  the  rigors  of  the  season  in  a way  which  we 
had  hitherto  thought  impossible.  A more  pleasing  reflec- 
tion occurred  at  seeing  the  warm  interest  which  the  situa- 
tion of  these  two  persons  had  excited  in  the  village.  The 
boy  had  been  a prisoner,  and  adopted  from  charity;  yet 
the  distress  of  the  father  proved  that  he  felt  for  him  the 
tenderest  affection.  The  man  was  a person  of  no  distinc- 
tion, yet  the  whole  village  was  full  of  anxiety  for  his  safety; 
and,  when  they  came  to  us,  borrowed  a sleigh  to  bring 
them  home  with  ease  if  they  had  survived,  or  to  carry  their 
bodies  if  they  had  perished. 

“January  13.  Nearly  one  half  of  the  Mandan  nation 
passed  down  the  river  to  hunt  for  several  days.  In  these 
excursions,  men,  women,  and  children,  with  their  dogs, 
all  leave  the  village  together,  and,  after  discovering  a spot 
convenient  for  the  game,  fix  their  tents;  all  the  family 
bear  their  part  in  the  labor,  and  the  game  is  equally 
divided  among  the  families  of  the  tribe.  When  a single 
hunter  returns  from  the  chase  with  more  than  is  necessary 
for  his  own  immediate  consumption,  the  neighbors  are 
entitled  by  custom  to  a share  of  it : they  do  not,  however, 
ask  for  it,  but  send  a squaw,  who,  without  saying  anything, 
sits  down  by  the  door  of  the  lodge  till  the  master  under- 
stands the  hint,  and  gives  her  gratuitously  a part  for  her 
family.” 

By  the  end  of  January,  1805,  the  weather  had  so  far 
moderated  that  the  explorers  thought  they  might  cut  their 
boats  from  the  ice  in  the  river  and  prepare  to  resume  their 
voyage ; but  the  ice  being  three  feet  thick,  they  made  no 
progress  and  were  obliged  to  give  up  the  attempt.  Their 


54 


First  Across  the  Continent 


stock  of  meat  was  low,  although  they  had  had  good  suc- 
cess when  the  cold  was  not  too  severe  to  prevent  them 
from  hunting  deer,  elk,  and  buffalo.  The  Mandans,  who 
were  careless  in  providing  food  for  future  supplies,  also 
suffered  for  want  of  meat,  sometimes  going  for  days  with- 
out flesh  food.  Captain  Clark  and  eighteen  men  went 
down  the  river  in  search  of  game.  The  hunters,  after 
being  out  nine  days,  returned  and  reported  that  they  had 
killed  forty  deer,  three  buffalo,  and  sixteen  elk.  But 
much  of  the  game  was  lean  and  poor,  and  the  wolves, 
who  devour  everything  left  out  at  night,  had  stolen  a 
quantity  of  the  flesh.  Four  men,  with  sleds,  were  sent 
out  to  bring  into  camp  the  meat,  which  had  been  secured 
against  wolves  by  being  stored  in  pens.  These  men  were 
attacked  by  Sioux,  about  one  hundred  in  number,  who 
robbed  them  of  their  game  and  two  of  their  three  horses. 
Captain  Lewis,  with  twenty-four  men,  accompanied  by 
some  of  the  Mandans,  set  out  in  pursuit  of  the  marauders. 
They  were  unsuccessful,  however,  but,  having  found  a part 
of  their  game  untouched,  they  brought  it  back,  and  this, 
with  other  game  killed  after  their  chase  of  the  Sioux,  gave 
them  three  thousand  pounds  of  meat;  they  had  killed 
thirty-six  deer,  fourteen  elk,  and  one  wolf. 

By  the  latter  part  of  February,  the  party  were  able  to 
get  their  boats  from  the  ice.  These  were  dragged  ashore, 
and  the  work  of  making  them  ready  for  their  next  voyage 
was  begun.  As  the  ice  in  the  river  began  to  break  up,  the 
Mandans  had  great  sport  chasing  across  the  floating  cakes 
of  ice  the  buffalo  who  were  tempted  over  by  the  appear- 
ance of  green,  growing  grass  on  the  other  side.  The 
Indians  were  very  expert  in  their  pursuit  of  the  animals, 
which  finally  slipped  from  their  insecure  footing  on  the 
drifting  ice,  and  were  killed. 


A Mandan  Village 


Winter  among  the  Mandans 


55 


At  this  point,  April  7,  1805,  the  escorting  party,  the 
voyageurs , and  one  interpreter,  returned  down  the  river  in 
their  barge.  This  party  consisted  of  thirteen  persons,  all 
told,  and  to  them  were  intrusted  several  packages  of 
specimens  for  President  Jefferson,  with  letters  and  official 
reports.  The  presents  for  Mr.  Jefferson,  according  to  the 
journal,  “ consisted  of  a stuffed  male  and  female  antelope, 
with  their  skeletons,  a weasel,  three  squirrels  from  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  the  skeleton  of  a prairie  wolf,  those  of 
a white  and  gray  hare,  a male  and  female  blaireau , 
[badger]  or  burrowing  dog  of  the  prairie,  with  a skeleton 
of  the  female,  two  burrowing  squirrels,  a white  weasel,  and 
the  skin  of  the  louservia  [loup-servier,  or  lynx],  the  horns 
of  a mountain  ram,  or  big-horn,  a pair  of  large  elk  horns, 
the  horns  and  tail  of  a black-tailed  deer,  and  a variety  of 
skins,  such  as  those  of  the  red  fox,  white  hare,  marten, 
yellow  bear,  obtained  from  the  Sioux ; also  a number  of 
articles  of  Indian  dress,  among  which  was  a buffalo  robe 
representing  a battle  fought  about  eight  years  since  be- 
tween the  Sioux  and  Ricaras  against  the  Mandans  and 
Minnetarees,  in  which  the  combatants  are  represented  on 
horseback.  . . . Such  sketches,  rude  and  imperfect  as 
they  are,  delineate  the  predominant  character  of  the 
savage  nations.  If  they  are  peaceable  and  inoffensive, 
the  drawings  usually  consist  of  local  scenery  and  their 
favorite  diversions.  If  the  band  are  rude  and  ferocious, 
we  observe  tomahawks,  scalping-knives,  bows  and  arrows, 
and  all  the  engines  of  destruction.  — A Mandan  bow,  and 
quiver  of  arrows;  also  some  Ricara  tobacco-seed,  and 
an  ear  of  Mandan  corn : to  these  were  added  a box  of 
plants,  another  of  insects,  and  three  cases  containing  a 
burrowing  squirrel,  a prairie  hen,  and  four  magpies,  all 
alive.”  . . . 


56  First  Across  the  Continent 


The  articles  reached  Mr.  Jefferson  safely  and  were  long 
on  view  at  his  Virginia  residence,  Monticello.  They  were 
subsequently  dispersed,  and  some  found  their  way  to 
Peale’s  Museum,  Philadelphia.  Dr.  Coues,  the  zealous 
editor  of  the  latest  and  fullest  edition  of  Lewis  and  Clark’s 
narrative,  says  that  some  of  the  specimens  of  natural  his- 
tory were  probably  extant  in  1893. 


Chapter  VII 

From.  Fort  Mandan  to  the  Yellowstone 

UP  to  this  time,  the  expedition  had  passed  through 
regions  from  which  .vague  reports  had  been  brought 
by  the  few  white  men  who,  as  hunters  and  trappers  in 
pursuit  of  fur-bearing  game,  had  dared  to  venture  into 
these  trackless  wildernesses.  Now  they  were  to  launch 
out  into  the  mysterious  unknown,  from  which  absolutely 
no  tidings  had  ever  been  brought  by  white  men.  The 
dim  reports  of  Indians  who  had  hunted  through  some 
parts  of  the  region  were  unreliable,  and,  as  they  after- 
wards proved,  were  often  as  absurdly  false  as  if  they  had 
been  fairy  tales. 

Here,  too,  they  parted  from  some  of  their  comrades  who 
were  to  return  to  “ the  United  States,”  as  the  explorers 
fondly  termed  their  native  country,  although  the  strange 
lands  through  which  they  were  voyaging  were  now  a part 
of  the  American  Republic.  The  despatches  sent  to  Wash- 
ington by  these  men  contained  the  first  official  report  from 
Lewis  and  Clark  since  their  departure  from  St.  Louis, 
May  1 6,  1803;  and  they  were  the  last  word  from  the 
explorers  until  their  return  in  September,  1806.  During 
all  that  long  interval,  the  adventurers  were  not  heard  of 
in  the  States.  No  wonder  that  croakers  declared  that  the 
little  party  had  been  cut  off  to  perish  miserably  in  the 
pathless  woods  that  cover  the  heart  of  the  continent. 

But  they  set  out  on  the  long  journey  with  light  hearts. 
In  his  journal,  whose  spelling  and  punctuation  are  not 


5§ 


First  Across  the  Continent 


always  models  for  the  faithful  imitation  of  school-boys, 
Captain  Lewis  set  down  this  observation : — 

“ Our  vessels  consisted  of  six  small  canoes,  and  two  large 
perogues.  This  little  fleet  altho’  not  quite  so  rispectable 
as  those  of  Columbus  or  Capt.  Cook,  were  still  viewed 
by  us  with  as  much  pleasure  as  those  deservedly  famed 
adventurers  ever  beheld  theirs ; and  I dare  say  with  quite 
as  much  anxiety  for  their  safety  and  preservation,  we  were 
now  about  to  penetrate  a country  at  least  two  thousand 
miles  in  width,  on  which  the  foot  of  civilized  man  had 
never  trodden ; the  good  or  evil  it  had  in  store  for  us  was 
for  experiment  yet  to  determine,  and  these  little  vessells 
contained  every  article  by  which  we  were  to  expect  to 
subsist  or  defend  ourselves,  however  as  the  state  of  mind 
in  which  we  are,  generally  gives  the  colouring  to  events, 
when  the  immagination  is  suffered  to  wander  into  futurity, 
the  picture  which  now  presented  itself  to  me  was  a most 
pleasing  one.  entertaing  as  I do  the  most  confident  hope 
of  succeeding  in  a voyage  which  had  formed  a darling 
project  of  mine  for  the  last  ten  years,  I could  but  esteem 
this  moment  of  our  departure  as  among  the  most  happy 
of  my  life.” 

The  barge  sent  down  the  river  to  St.  Louis  was  in  com- 
mand of  Corporal  Wharfington;  and  with  him  were  six 
private  soldiers,  two  French  voyageurs , Joseph  Gravelines 
(pilot  and  interpreter),  and  Brave  Raven,  a Ricara  (or 
Arikara)  chief  who  was  to  be  escorted  to  Washington  to 
visit  the  President.  The  party  was  also  intrusted  with 
sundry  gifts  for  the  President,  among  them  being  natural 
history  specimens,  living  and  dead,  and  a number  of 
Indian  articles  which  would  be  objects  of  curiosity  in 
Washington. 

The  long  voyage  of  the  main  party  began  on  the  8th  of 


From  Fort  Mandan  to  the  Yellowstone  59 


April,  1805,  early  passing  the  mouth  of  the  Big  Knife 
River,  one  of  the  five  considerable  streams  that  fall  into  the 
Missouri  from  the  westward  in  this  region ; the  other 
streams  are  the  Owl,  the  Grand,  the  Cannonball,  and  the 
Heart.  The  large  town  of  Stanton,  Mercer  County,  North 
Dakota,  is  now  situated  at  the  mouth  of  the  Big  Knife. 
The  passage  of  the  party  up  the  river  was  slow,  owing  to 
unfavorable  winds ; and  they  observed  along  the  banks 
many  signs  of  early  convulsions  of  nature.  The  earth  of 
the  bluffs  was  streaked  with  layers  of  coal,  or  carbonized 
wood,  and  large  quantities  of  lava  and  pumice-stone  were 
strewn  around,  showing  traces  of  ancient  volcanic  action. 
The  journal  of  April  9 says : — 

“ A great  number  of  brants  [snow-geese]  pass  up  the 
river ; some  of  them  are  perfectly  white,  except  the  large 
feathers  of  the  first  joint  of  the  wing,  which  are  black, 
though  in  every  other  characteristic  they  resemble  com- 
mon gray  brant.  We  also  saw  but  could  not  procure 
an  animal  [gopher]  that  burrows  in  the  ground,  and  is 
similar  in  every  respect  to  the  burrowing-squirrel,  except 
that  it  is  only  one-third  of  its  size.  This  may  be  the  ani- 
mal whose  works  we  have  often  seen  in  the  plains  and 
prairies;  they  resemble  the  labors  of  the  salamander  in 
the  sand-hills  of  South  Carolina  and  Georgia,  and  like  him 
the  animals  rarely  come  above  ground ; they  consist  of  a 
little  hillock  of  ten  or  twelve  pounds  of  loose  ground, 
which  would  seem  to  have  been  reversed  from  a pot, 
though  no  aperture  is  seen  through  which  it  could  have 
been  thrown.  On  removing  gently  the  earth,  you  discover 
that  the  soil  has  been  broken  in  a circle  of  about  an  inch 
and  a half  diameter,  where  the  ground  is  looser,  though 
still  no  opening  is  perceptible.  When  we  stopped  for 
dinner  the  squaw  [Sacajawea]  went  out,  and  after  penetrat- 


\ 


6o 


First  Across  the  Continent 


in g with  a sharp  stick  the  holes  of  the  mice  [gophers], 
near  some  drift-wood,  brought  to  us  a quantity  of  wild 
artichokes,  which  the  mice  collect  and  hoard  in  large  num- 
bers. The  root  is  white,  of  an  ovate  form,  from  one  to 
three  inches  long,  and  generally  of  the  size  of  a man’s 
finger,  and  two,  four,  and  sometimes  six  roots  are  attached 
to  a single  stalk.  Its  flavor  as  well  as  the  stalk  which 
issues  from  it  resemble  those  of  the  Jerusalem  artichoke, 
except  that  the  latter  is  much  larger.” 

The  weather  rapidly  grew  so  warm,  although  this  was 
early  in  April,  that  the  men  worked  half-naked  during  the 
day;  and  they  were  very  much  annoyed  by  clouds  of 
mosquitoes.  They  found  that  the  hillsides  and  even  the 
banks  of  the  rivers  and  sand-bars  were  covered  with  “ a 
white  substance,  which  appears  in  considerable  quantities 
on  the  surface  of  the  earth,  and  tastes  like  a mixture  of 
common  salt  with  Glauber’s  salts.”  “ Many  of  the  streams,” 
the  journal  adds,  “ are  so  strongly  impregnated  with  this 
substance  that  the  water  has  an  unpleasant  taste  and  a 
purgative  effect.”  This  is  nothing  more  than  the  so-called 
alkali  which  has  since  become  known  all  over  the  farthest 
West.  It  abounds  in  the  regions  west  of  Salt  Lake  Valley, 
whitening  vast  areas  like  snow  and  poisoning  the  waters 
so  that  the  traveller  often  sees  the  margins  of  the  brown 
pools  lined  with  skeletons  and  bodies  of  small  animals 
whose  thirst  had  led  them  to  drink  the  deadly  fluid.  Men 
and  animals  suffer  from  smaller  doses  of  this  stuff,  which 
is  largely  a sulphate  of  soda,  and  even  in  small  quantities 
is  harmful  to  the  system. 

Here,  on  the  twelfth  of  April,  they  were  able  to  deter- 
mine the  exact  course  of  the  Little  Missouri,  a stream 
about  which  almost  nothing  was  then  known.  Near  here, 
too,  they  found  the  source  of  the  Mouse  River,  only  a few 


From  Fort  Mandan  to  the  Yellowstone  61 


miles  from  the  Missouri.  The  river,  bending  to  the  north 
and  then  making  many  eccentric  curves,  finally  empties 
into  Lake  Winnipeg,  and  so  passes  into  the  great  chain 
of  northern  lakes  in  British  America.  At  this  point  the 
explorers  saw  great  flocks  of  the  wild  Canada  goose.  The 
journal  says : — 

“ These  geese,  we  observe,  do  not  build  their  nests  on 
the  ground  or  in  the  sand-bars,  but  in  the  tops  of  the  lofty 
cottonwood  trees.  We  saw  some  elk  and  buffalo  to-day, 
but  at  too  great  a distance  to  obtain  any  of  them,  though 
a number  of  the  carcasses  of  the  latter  animal  are  strewed 
along  the  shore,  having  fallen  through  the  ice  and  been 
swept  along  when  the  river  broke  up.  More  bald  eagles 
are  seen  on  this  part  of  the  Missouri  than  we  have  previ- 
ously met  with ; the  small  sparrow-hawk,  common  in  most 
parts  of  the  United  States,  is  also  found  here.  Great 
quantities  of  geese  are  feeding  on  the  prairies,  and  one 
flock  of  white  brant,  or  geese  with  black-tipped  wings,  and 
some  gray  brant  with  them,  pass  up  the  river ; from  their 
flight  they  seem  to  proceed  much  further  to  the  northwest. 
We  killed  two  antelopes,  which  were  very  lean,  and  caught 
last  night  two  beavers.” 

Lewis  and  Clark  were  laughed  at  by  some  very  knowing 
people  who  scouted  the  idea  that  wild  geese  build  their 
nests  in  trees.  But  later  travellers  have  confirmed  their 
story ; the  wise  geese  avoid  foxes  and  other  of  their  four- 
footed  enemies  by  fixing  their  homes  in  the  tall  cotton- 
woods. In  other  words,  they  roost  high. 

The  Assiniboins  from  the  north  had  lately  been  on  their 
spring  hunting  expeditions  through  this  region, — just 
above  the  Little  Missouri,  — and  game  was  scarce  and  shy. 
The  journal,  under  the  date  of  April  14,  says : — 

“One  of  the  hunters  shot  at  ao  otter  last  evening;  a 


62 


First  Across  the  Continent 


buffalo  was  killed,  and  an  elk,  both  so  poor  as  to  be  almost 
unfit  for  use ; two  white  [grizzly]  bears  were  also  seen,  and 
a muskrat  swimming  across  the  river.  The  river  continues 
wide  and  of  about  the  same  rapidity  as  the  ordinary  current 
of  the  Ohio.  The  low  grounds  are  wide,  the  moister  parts 
containing  timber ; the  upland  is  extremely  broken,  with- 
out wood,  and  in  some  places  seems  as  if  it  had  slipped 
down  in  masses  of  several  acres  in  surface.  The  mineral 
appearance  of  salts,  coal,  and  sulphur,  with  the  burnt  hill 
and  pumice-stone,  continue,  and  a bituminous  water  about 
the  color  of  strong  lye,  with  the  taste  of  Glauber’s  salts 
and  a slight  tincture  of  alum.  Many  geese  were  feeding 
in  the  prairies,  and  a number  of  magpies,  which  build  their 
nests  much  like  those  of  the  blackbird,  in  trees,  and  com- 
posed of  small  sticks,  leaves,  and  grass,  open  at  the  top ; 
the  egg  is  of  a bluish-brown  color,  freckled  with  reddish- 
brown  spots.  We  also  killed  a large  hooting-owl  resem- 
bling that  of  the  United  States  except  that  it  was  more 
booted  and  clad  with  feathers.  On  the  hills  are  many 
aromatic  herbs,  resembling  in  taste,  smell,  and  appearance 
the  sage,  hyssop,  wormwood,  southernwood,  juniper,  and 
dwarf  cedar;  a plant  also  about  two  or  three  feet  high, 
similar  to  the  camphor  in  smell  and  taste;  and  another 
plant  of  the  same  size,  with  a long,  narrow,  smooth,  soft 
leaf,  of  an  agreeable  smell  and  flavor,  which  is  a favorite 
food  of  the  antelope,  whose  necks  are  often  perfumed  by 
rubbing  against  it.” 

What  the  journalist  intended  to  say  here  was  that  at 
least  one  of  the  aromatic  herbs  resembled  sage,  hyssop, 
wormwood,  and  southernwood,  and  that  there  were  junipers 
and  dwarf  cedars.  The  pungent-smelling  herb  was  the 
wild  sage,  now  celebrated  in  stories  of  adventure  as  the 
sage-brush.  It  grows  abundantly  in  the  alkali  country, 


From  Fort  Mandan  to  the  Yellowstone  63 


and  is  browsed  upon  by  a species  of  grouse  known  as  the 
sage-hen.  Junipers  and  dwarf  cedars  also  grow  on  the 
hills  of  the  alkali  and  sage-brush  country.  The  sage  be- 
longs to  the  Artemisia  family  of  plants. 

Four  days  later,  the  journal  had  this  interesting  entry : 

“ The  country  to-day  presented  the  usual  variety  of 
highlands  interspersed  with  rich  plains.  In  one  of  these 
we  observed  a species  of  pea  bearing  a yellow  flower, 
which  is  now  in  blossom,  the  leaf  and  stalk  resembling  the 
common  pea.  It  seldom  rises  higher  than  six  inches,  and 
the  root  is  perennial.  On  the  rose-bushes  we  also  saw  a 
quantity  of  the  hair  of  a buffalo,  which  had  become  per- 
fectly white  by  exposure  and  resembled  the  wool  of  the 
sheep,  except  that  it  was  much  finer  and  more  soft  and 
silky.  A buffalo  which  we  killed  yesterday  had  shed  his 
long  hair,  and  that  which  remained  was  about  two  inches 
long,  thick,  fine,  and  would  have  furnished  five  pounds  of 
wool,  of  which  we  have  no  doubt  an  excellent  cloth  may 
be  made.  Our  game  to-day  was  a beaver,  a deer,  an  elk, 
and  some  geese.  . . . 

“ On  the  hills  we  observed  considerable  quantities  of 
dwarf  juniper,  which  seldom  grows  higher  than  three  feet. 
We  killed  in  the  course  of  the  day  an  elk,  three  geese,  and 
a beaver.  The  beaver  on  this  part  of  the  Missouri  are 
in  greater  quantities,  larger  and  fatter,  and  their  fur  is 
more  abundant  and  of  a darker  color,  than  any  we  have 
hitherto  seen.  Their  favorite  food  seems  to  be  the  bark  of 
the  cottonwood  and  willow,  as  we  have  seen  no  other 
species  of  tree  that  has  been  touched  by  them,  and  these 
they  gnaw  to  the  ground  through  a diameter  of  twenty 
inches.” 

And  on  the  twenty-first  of  April  the  journal  says : — 

“ Last  night  there  was  a hard  white  frost,  and  this  morn- 


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First  Across  the  Continent 


ing  the  weather  was  cold,  but  clear  and  pleasant;  in  the 
course  of  the  day,  however,  it  became  cloudy  and  the  wind 
rose.  The  country  is  of  the  same  description  as  within  the 
few  last  days.  We  saw  immense  quantities  of  buffalo,  elk, 
deer,  antelopes,  geese,  and  some  swans  and  ducks,  out  of 
which  we  procured  three  deer  and  four  buffalo  calves, 
which  last  are  equal  in  flavor  to  the  most  delicious  veal ; 
also  two  beaver  and  an  otter.” 

As  the  party  advanced  to  the  westward,  following  the 
crooked  course  of  the  Missouri,  they  were  very  much 
afflicted  with  inflamed  eyes,  occasioned  by  the  fine,  alkaline 
dust  that  blew  so  lightly  that  it  sometimes  floated  for  miles, 
like  clouds  of  smoke.  The  dust  even  penetrated  the  works 
of  one  of  their  watches,  although  it  was  protected  by  tight, 
double  cases.  In  these  later  days,  even  the  double  win- 
dows of  the  railway  trains  do  not  keep  out  this  penetrating 
dust,  which  makes  one’s  skin  dry  and  rough. 

On  the  twenty-fifth  of  April,  the  explorers  believed, 
by  the  signs  which  they  observed,  that  they  must  be  near 
the  great  unknown  river  of  which  they  had  dimly  heard  as 
rising  in  the  rocky  passes  of  the  Great  Divide  and  empty- 
ing into  the  Missouri.  Captain  Lewis  accordingly  left  the 
party,  with  four  men,  and  struck  off  across  the  country  in 
search  of  the  stream.  Under  the  next  day’s  date  the 
journal  reports  the  return  of  Captain  Lewis  and  says:  — 

“ On  leaving  us  yesterday  he  pursued  his  route  along  the 
foot  of  the  hills,  which  he  descended  to  the  distance  of 
eight  miles ; from  these  the  wide  plains  watered  by  the 
Missouri  and  the  Yellowstone  spread  themselves  before 
the  eye,  occasionally  varied  with  the  wood  of  the  banks, 
enlivened  by  the  irregular  windings  of  the  two  rivers,  and 
animated  by  vast  herds  of  buffalo,  deer,  elk,  and  antelope. 
The  confluence  of  the  two  rivers  was  concealed  by  the 


From  Fort  Mandan  to  the  Yellowstone  65 


wood,  but  the  Yellowstone  itself  was  only  two  miles  dis- 
tant, to  the  south.  He  therefore  descended  the  .hills  and 
camped  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  having  killed,  as  he 
crossed  the  plain,  four  buffaloes ; the  deer  alone  are  shy 
and  retire  to  the  woods,  but  the  elk,  antelope,  and  buffalo 
suffered  him  to  approach  them  without  alarm,  and  often 
followed  him  quietly  for  some  distance.” 

The  famous  water-course,  first  described  by  Lewis  and 
Clark,  was  named  by  them  the  Yellow  Stone  \_sic\  River. 
Earlier  than  this,  however,  the  French  voyageurs  had 
called  the  Upper  Missouri  the  Riviere  Jaune,  or  Yellow 
River;  but  it  is  certain  that  the  stream,  which  rises  in 
the  Yellowstone  National  Park,  was  discovered  and  named 
by  Lewis  and  Clark.  One  of  the  party,  Private  Joseph 
Fields,  was  the  first  white  man  who  ever  ascended  the 
Yellowstone  for  any  considerable  distance.  Sent  up  the 
river  by  Captains  Lewis  and  Clark,  he  travelled  about 
eight  miles,  and  observed  the  currents  and  sand-bars. 
Leaving  the  mouth  of  the  river,  the  party  went  on  their 
course  along  the  Missouri.  The  journal,  under  date  of 
April  27,  says  : — 

“ From  the  point  of  junction  a wood  occupies  the  space 
between  the  two  rivers,  which  at  the  distance  of  a mile 
come  within  two  hundred  and  fifty  yards  of  each  other. 
There  a beautiful  low  plain  commences,  widening  as  the 
rivers  recede,  and  extends  along  each  of  them  for  several 
miles,  rising  about  half  a mile  from  the  Missouri  into  a 
plain  twelve  feet  higher  than  itself.  The  low  plain  is  a 
few  inches  above  high  water  mark,  and  where  it  joins  the 
higher  plain  there  is  a channel  of  sixty  or  seventy  yards  in 
width,  through  which  a part  of  the  Missouri,  when  at  its 
greatest  height,  passes  into  the  Yellowstone. 


5 


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“ The  northwest  wind  rose  so  high  at  eleven  o’clock  that 
we  were  obliged  to  stop  till  about  four  in  the  afternoon, 
when  we  proceeded  till  dusk.  On  the  south  a beautiful 
plain  separates  the  two  rivers,  till  at  about  six  miles  there 
is  a piece  of  low  timbered  ground,  and  a little  above  it 
bluffs,  where  the  country  rises  gradually  from  the  river : 
the  situations  on  the  north  are  more  high  and  open.  We 
encamped  on  that  side,  the  wind,  the  sand  which  it  raised, 
and  the  rapidity  of  the  current  having  prevented  our 
advancing  more  than  eight  miles ; during  the  latter  part 
of  the  day  the  river  became  wider,  and  crowded  with 
sand-bars.  The  game  was  in  such  plenty  that  we  killed 
only  what  was  necessary  for  our  subsistence.  For  several 
days  past  we  have  seen  great  numbers  of  buffalo  lying  dead 
along  the  shore,  some  of  them  partly  devoured  by  the 
wolves.  They  have  either  sunk  through  the  ice  during 
the  winter,  or  been  drowned  in  attempting  to  cross;  or 
else,  after  crossing  to  some  high  bluff,  have  found  them- 
selves too  much  exhausted  either  to  ascend  or  swim  back 
again,  and  perished  for  want  of  food : in  this  situation  we 
found  several  small  parties  of  them.  There  are  geese,  too, 
in  abundance,  and  more  bald  eagles  than  we  have  hitherto 
observed;  the  nests  of  these  last  being  always  accom- 
panied by  those  of  two  or  three  magpies,  who  are  their 
inseparable  attendants.” 


Chapter  VIII 

In  the  Haunts  of  Grizzlies  and  Buffalo 

GAME,  which  had  been  somewhat  scarce  after  leav- 
ing the  Yellowstone,  became  more  plentiful  as 
they  passed  on  to  the  westward,  still  following  the  wind- 
ing course  of  the  Missouri.  Much  of  the  time,  baffling 
winds  and  the  crookedness  of  the  stream  made  sailing 
impossible,  and  the  boats  were  towed  by  men  walking 
along  the  banks. 

Even  this  was  sometimes  difficult,  on  account  of  the 
rocky  ledges  that  beset  the  shores,  and  sharp  stones  that 
lay  in  the  path  of  the  towing  parties.  On  the  twenty- 
eighth  of  April,  however,  having  a favorable  wind,  the 
party  made  twenty-eight  miles  with  their  sails,  which 
was  reckoned  a good  day’s  journey.  On  that  day  the 
journal  records  that  game  had  again  become  very  abun- 
dant, deer  of  various  kinds,  elk,  buffalo,  antelope,  bear, 
beaver,  and  geese  being  numerous.  The  beaver,  it  was 
found,  had  wrought  much  damage  by  gnawing  down 
trees;  some  of  these,  not  less  than  three  feet  in  diameter, 
had  been  gnawed  clean  through  by  the  beaver.  On  the 
following  day  the  journal  has  this  record:  — 

“We  proceeded  early,  with  a moderate  wind.  Captain 
Lewis,  who  was  on  shore  with  one  hunter,  met,  about 
eight  o’clock,  two  white  [grizzly]  bears.  Of  the  strength 
and  ferocity  of  this  animal  the  Indians  had  given  us 
dreadful  accounts.  They  never  attack  him  but  in  parties 
of  six  or  eight  persons,  and  even  then  are  often  defeated 


68 


First  Across  the  Continent 


with  a loss  of  one  or  more  of  their  party.  Having  no 
weapons  but  bows  and  arrows,  and  the  bad  guns  with 
which  the  traders  supply  them,  they  are  obliged  to 
approach  very  near  to  the  bear;  as  no  wound  except 
through  the  head  or  heart  is  mortal,  they  frequently  fall 
a sacrifice  if  they  miss  their  aim.  He  rather  attacks 
than  avoids  a man,  and  such  is  the  terror  which  he  has 
inspired,  that  the  Indians  who  go  in  quest  of  him  paint 
themselves  and  perform  all  the  superstitious  rites  cus- 
tomary when  they  make  war  on  a neighboring  nation. 
Hitherto,  those  bears  we  had  seen  did  not  appear  de- 
sirous of  encountering  us;  but  although  to  a skilful 
rifleman  the  danger  is  very  much  diminished,  yet  the 
white  bear  is  still  a terrible  animal.  On  approaching 
these  two,  both  Captain  Lewis  and  the  hunter  fired,  and 
each  wounded  a bear.  One  of  them  made  his  escape; 
the  other  turned  upon  Captain  Lewis  and  pursued  him 
seventy  or  eighty  yards,  but  being  badly  wounded  the 
bear  could  not  run  so  fast  as  to  prevent  him  from  reload- 
ing his  piece,  which  he  again  aimed  at  him,  and  a third 
shot  from  the  hunter  brought  him  to  the  ground.  He 
was  a male,  not  quite  full  grown,  and  weighed  about 
three  hundred  pounds.  The  legs  are  somewhat  longer 
than  those  of  the  black  bear,  and  the  talons  and  tusks 
much  larger  and  longer.  Its  color  is  a yellowish-brown; 
the  eyes  are  small,  black,  and  piercing ; the  front  of  the 
fore  legs  near  the  feet  is  usually  black,  and  the  fur  is 
finer,  thicker,  and  deeper  than  that  of  the  black  bear. 
Add  to  which,  it  is  a more  furious  animal,  and  very 
remarkable  for  the  wounds  which  it  will  bear  without 
dying.” 

Next  day,  the  hunter  killed  the  largest  elk  which  they 
had  ever  seen.  It  stood  five  feet  three  inches  high  from 


In  the  Haunts  of  Grizzlies  and  Buffalo  69 


hoof  to  shoulder.  Antelopes  were  also  numerous,  but 
lean,  and  not  very  good  for  food.  Of  the  antelope  the 
journal  says : — • 

“These  fleet  and  quick-sighted  animals  are  generally 
the  victims  of  their  curiosity.  When  they  first  see  the 
hunters,  they  run  with  great  velocity;  if  he  lies  down 
on  the  ground,  and  lifts  up  his  arm,  his  hat,  or  his  foot, 
they  return  with  a light  trot  to  look  at  the  object,  and 
sometimes  go  and  return  two  or  three  times,  till  they 
approach  within  reach  of  the  rifle.  So,  too,  they  some- 
times leave  their  flock  to  go  and  look  at  the  wolves, 
which  crouch  down,  and,  if  the  antelope  is  frightened  at 
first,  repeat  the  same  manoeuvre,  and  sometimes  relieve 
each  other,  till  they  decoy  it  from  the  party,  when  they 
seize  it.  But,  generally,  the  wolves  take  them  as  they 
are  crossing  the  rivers;  for,  although  swift  on  foot, 
they  are  not  good  swimmers.” 

Later  wayfarers  across  the  plains  were  wont  to  beguile 
the  antelope  by  fastening  a bright-colored  handkerchief 
to  a ramrod  stuck  in  the  ground.  The  patient  hunter 
was  certain  to  be  rewarded  by  the  antelope  coming  within 
range  of  his  rifle;  for,  unless  scared  off  by  some  inter- 
ference, the  herd,  after  galloping  around  and  around  and 
much  zigzagging,  would  certainly  seek  to  gratify  their 
curiosity  by  gradually  circling  nearer  and  nearer  the 
strange  object  until  a deadly  shot  or  two  sent  havoc  into 
their  ranks. 

May  came  on  cold  and  windy,  and  on  the  second  of  the 
month,  the  journal  records  that  snow  fell  to  the  depth 
of  an  inch,  contrasting  strangely  with  the  advanced 
vegetation. 

“Our  game  to-day,”  proceeds  the  journal,  “were  deer, 
elk,  and  buffalo:  we  also  procured  three  beaver.  They 


7° 


First  Across  the  Continent 


were  here  quite  gentle,  as  they  have  not  been  hunted; 
but  when  the  hunters  are  in  pursuit,  they  never  leave 
their  huts  during  the  day.  This  animal  we  esteem  a 
great  delicacy,  particularly  the  tail,  which,  when  boiled, 
resembles  in  flavor  the  fresh  tongues  and  sounds  of  the 
codfish,  and  is  generally  so  large  as  to  afford  a plentiful 
meal  for  two  men.  One  of  the  hunters,  in  passing  near 
an  old  Indian  camp,  found  several  yards  of  scarlet  cloth 
suspended  on  the  bough  of  a tree,  as  a sacrifice  to  the 
deity,  by  the  Assiniboins;  the  custom  of  making  these 
offerings  being  common  among  that  people,  as,  indeed, 
among  all  the  Indians  on  the  Missouri.  The  air  was 
sharp  this  evening;  the  water  froze  on  the  oars  as  we 
rowed.  ” 

The  Assiniboin  custom  of  sacrificing  to  their  deity, 
or  “great  medicine,”  the  article  which  they  most  value 
themselves,  is  not  by  any  means  peculiar  to  that  tribe, 
nor  to  the  Indian  race. 

An  unusual  number  of  porcupines  were  seen  along 
here,  and  these  creatures  were  so  free  from  wildness  that 
they  fed  on,  undisturbed,  while  the  explorers  walked 
around  and  among  them.  The  captains  named  a bold 
and  beautiful  stream,  which  here  entered  the  Missouri 
from  the  north, — Porcupine  River;  but  modern  geog- 
raphy calls  the  water-course  Poplar  River;  at  the  mouth 
of  the  river,  in  Montana,  is  now  the  Poplar  River  Indian 
Agency  and  military  post.  The  waters  of  this  stream, 
the  explorers  found,  were  clear  and  transparent,  — an  ex- 
ception to  all  the  streams,  which,  discharging  into  the 
Missouri,  give  it  its  name  of  the  Big  Muddy.  The 
journal  adds: — 

“ A quarter  of  a mile  beyond  this  river  a creek  falls  in 
on  the  south,  to  which,  on  account  of  its  distance  from 


Decoying  Elk  with  a Handkerchief 


In  the  Haunts  of  Grizzlies  and  Buffalo  71 


the  mouth  of  the  Missouri,  we  gave  the  name  of  Two- 
thousand-mile  creek.  It  is  a bold  stream  with  a bed 
thirty  yards  wide.  At  three  and  one-half  miles  above 
Porcupine  River,  we  reached  some  high  timber  on  the 
north,  and  camped  just  above  an  old  channel  of  the  river, 
which  is  now  dry.  We  saw  vast  quantities  of  buffalo, 
elk,  deer, — principally  of  the  long-tailed  kind, — ante- 
lope, beaver,  geese,  ducks,  brant,  and  some  swan.  The 
porcupines  too  are  numerous,  and  so  careless  and  clumsy 
that  we  can  approach  very  near  without  disturbing  them, 
as  they  are  feeding  on  the  young  willows.  Toward  even- 
ing we  also  found  for  the  first  time  the  nest  of  a goose 
among  some  driftwood,  all  that  we  had  hitherto  seen 
being  on  the  top  of  a broken  tree  on  the  forks,  invariably 
from  fifteen  to  twenty  or  more  feet  in  height.” 

“Next  day,”  May  4,  says  the  journal,  “we  passed  some 
old  Indian  hunting-camps,  one  of  which  consisted  of  two 
large  lodges,  fortified  with  a circular  fence  twenty  or 
thirty  feet  in  diameter,  made  of  timber  laid  horizontally, 
the  beams  overlying  each  other  to  the  height  of  five 
feet,  and  covered  with  the  trunks  and  limbs  of  trees  that 
have  drifted  down  the  river.  The  lodges  themselves  are 
formed  by  three  or  more  strong  sticks  about  the  size  of  a 
man’s  leg  or  arm  and  twelve  feet  long,  which  are  attached 
at  the  top  by  a withe  of  small  willows,  and  spread  out  so 
as  to  form  at  the  base  a circle  of  ten  to  fourteen  feet  in 
diameter.  Against  these  are  placed  pieces  of  driftwood 
and  fallen  timber,  usually  in  three  ranges,  one  on  the 
other;  the  interstices  are  covered  with  leaves,  bark,  and 
straw,  so  as  to  form  a conical  figure  about  ten  feet  high, 
with  a small  aperture  in  one  side  for  the  door.  It  is, 
however,  at  best  a very  imperfect  shelter  against  the 
inclemencies  of  the  seasons.” 


7 2 


First  Across  the  Continent 


Wolves  were  very  abundant  along  the  route  of  the 
explorers,  the  most  numerous  species  being  the  common 
kind,  now  known  as  the  coyote  (pronounced  kyote ),  and 
named  by  science  the  canis  latrans.  These  animals  are 
cowardly  and  sly  creatures,  of  an  intermediate  size  be- 
tween the  fox  and  dog,  very  delicately  formed,  fleet  and 
active. 

“The  ears  are  large,  erect,  and  pointed;  the  head  is 
long  and  pointed,  like  that  of  the  fox;  the  tail  long  and 
bushy;  the  hair  and  fur  are  of  a pale  reddish-brown  color, 
though  much  coarser  than  that  of  the  fox ; the  eye  is  of 
a deep  sea-green  color,  small  and  piercing;  the  talons 
are  rather  longer  than  those  of  the  wolf  of  the  Atlantic 
States,  which  animal,  as  far  as  we  can  perceive,  is  not 
to  be  found  on  this  side  of  the  Platte.  These  wolves 
usually  associate  in  bands  of  ten  or  twelve,  and  are 
rarely,  if  ever,  seen  alone,  not  being  able,  singly,  to 
attack  a deer  or  antelope.  They  live  and  rear  their 
young  in  burrows,  which  they  fix  near  some  pass  or  spot 
much  frequented  by  game,  and  sally  out  in  a body  against 
any  animal  which  they  think  they  can  overpower;  but  on 
the  slightest  alarm  retreat  to  their  burrows,  making  a 
noise  exactly  like  that  of  a small  dog. 

“ A second  species  is  lower,  shorter  in  the  legs,  and 
thicker  than  the  Atlantic  wolf;  the  color,  which  is  not 
affected  by  the  seasons,  is  of  every  variety  of  shade,  from 
a gray  or  blackish-brown  to  a cream-colored  white.  They 
do  not  burrow,  nor  do  they  bark,  but  howl ; they  frequent 
the  woods  and  plains,  and  skulk  along  the  skirts  of  the 
buffalo  herds,  in  order  to  attack  the  weary  or  wounded.” 

Under  date  of  May  5,  the  journal  has  an  interesting 
story  of  an  encounter  with  a grizzly  bear,  which,  by  way 
of  variety,  is  here  called  “brown,”  instead  of  “white.” 


In  the  Haunts  of  Grizzlies  and  Buffalo  73 


It  is  noticeable  that  the  explorers  dwelt  with  much 
minuteness  upon  the  peculiar  characteristics  of  the 
grizzly;  this  is  natural  enough  when  we  consider  that 
they  were  the  first  white  men  to  form  an  intimate 
acquaintance  with  “Ursus  horribilis.”  The  account 
says : — 

“ Captain  Clark  and  one  of  the  hunters  met,  this  even- 
ing, the  largest  brown  bear  we  have  seen.  As  they  fired 
he  did  not  attempt  to  attack,  but  fled  with  a most  tremen- 
dous roar;  and  such  was  his  extraordinary  tenacity  of 
life,  that,  although  he  had  five  balls  passed  through  his 
lungs,  and  five  other  wounds,  he  swam  more  than  half 
across  the  river  to  a sand-bar,  and  survived  twenty 
minutes.  He  weighed  between  five  and  six  hundred 
pounds  at  least,  and  measured  eight  feet  seven  inches 
and  a half  from  the  nose  to  the  extremity  of  the  hind 
feet,  five  feet  ten  inches  and  a half  round  the  breast, 
three  feet  eleven  inches  round  the  neck,  one  foot  eleven 
inches  round  the  middle  of  the  fore  leg,  and  his  claws, 
five  on  each  foot,  were  four  inches  and  three-eighths  in 
length.  This  animal  differs  from  the  common  black  bear 
in  having  his  claws  much  longer  and  more  blunt;  his  tail 
shorter;  his  hair  of  a reddish  or  bay  brown,  longer,  finer, 
and  more  abundant;  his  liver,  lungs,  and  heart  much 
larger  even  in  proportion  to  his  size,  the  heart,  particu- 
larly, being  equal  to  that  of  a large  ox;  and  his  maw  ten 
times  larger.  Besides  fish  and  flesh,  he  feeds  on  roots 
and  every  kind  of  wild  fruit.” 

On  May  8 the  party  discovered  the  largest  and  most  im- 
portant of  the  northern  tributaries  of  the  Upper  Missouri. 
The  journal  thus  describes  the  stream:  — 

“ Its  width  at  the  entrance  is  one  hundred  and  fifty 
yards;  on  going  three  miles  up,  Captain  Lewis  found  it 


74 


First  Across  the  Continent 


to  be  of  the  same  breadth  and  sometimes  more;  it  is 
deep,  gentle,  and  has  a large  quantity  of  water;  its  bed 
is  principally  of  mud ; the  banks  are  abrupt,  about  twelve 
feet  in  height,  and  formed  of  a dark,  rich  loam  and  blue 
clay;  the  low  grounds  near  it  are  wide  and  fertile,  and 
possess  a considerable  proportion  of  cottonwood  and  wil- 
low. It  seems  to  be  navigable  for  boats  and  canoes;  by 
this  circumstance,  joined  to  its  course  and  quantity  of 
water,  which  indicates  that  it  passes  through  a large 
extent  of  country,  we  are  led  to  presume  that  it  may 
approach  the  Saskaskawan  [Saskatchewan]  and  afford  a 
communication  with  that  river.  The  water  has  a pecu- 
liar whiteness,  such  as  might  be  produced  by  a table- 
spoonful of  milk  in  a dish  of  tea,  and  this  circumstance 
induced  us  to  call  it  Milk  River.” 

Modern  geography  shows  that  the  surmise  of  Captain 
Lewis  was  correct.  Some  of  the  tributaries  of  Milk 
River  (the  Indian  name  of  which  signifies  “The  River 
that  Scolds  at  all  Others  ”)  have  their  rise  near  St. 
Mary’s  River,  which  is  one  of  the  tributaries  of  the 
Saskatchewan,  in  British  America. 

The  explorers  were  surprised  to  find  the  bed  of  a dry 
river,  as  deep  and  as  wide  as  the  Missouri  itself,  about 
fifteen  miles  above  Milk  River.  Although  it  had  every 
appearance  of  a water-course,  it  did  not  discharge  a drop 
of  water.  Their  journal  says : — 

“It  passes  through  a wide  valley  without  timber;  the 
surrounding  country  consists  of  waving  low  hills,  inter- 
spersed with  some  handsome  level  plains ; the  banks  are 
abrupt,  and  consist  of  a black  or  yellow  clay,  or  of  a 
rich  sandy  loam;  though  they  do  not  rise  more  than  six 
or  eight  feet  above  the  bed,  they  exhibit  no  appearance 
of  being  overflowed;  the  bed  is  entirely  composed  of  a 


In  the  Haunts  of  Grizzlies  and  Buffalo  75 


light  brown  sand,  the  particles  of  which,  like  those  of 
the  Missouri,  are  extremely  fine.  Like  the  dry  rivers  we 
passed  before,  this  seemed  to  have  discharged  its  waters 
recently,  but  the  watermark  indicated  that  its  greatest 
depth  had  not  been  more  than  two  feet.  This  stream, 
if  it  deserve  the  name,  we  called  Bigdry  [Big  Dry] 
River.” 

And  Big  Dry  it  remains  on  the  maps  unto  this  day.  In 
this  region  the  party  recorded  this  observation  : — 

“The  game  is  now  in  great  quantities,  particularly  the 
elk  and  buffalo,  which  last  is  so  gentle  that  the  men  are 
obliged  to  drive  them  out  of  the  way  with  sticks  and 
stones.  The  ravages  of  the  beaver  are  very  apparent ; in 
one  place  the  timber  was  entirely  prostrated  for  a space 
of  three  acres  in  front  on  the  river  and  one  in  depth,  and 
great  part  of  it  removed,  though  the  trees  were  in  large 
quantities,  and  some  of  them  as  thick  as  the  body  of  a 
man.” 

Yet  so  great  have  been  the  ravages  of  man  among  these 
gentle  creatures,  that  elk  are  now  very  rarely  found  in 
the  region,  and  the  buffalo  have  almost  utterly  dis- 
appeared from  the  face  of  the  earth.  Just  after  the 
opening  of  the  Northern  Pacific  Railway,  in  1883,  a 
band  of  sixty  buffaloes  were  heard  of,  far  to  the  south- 
ward of  Bismarck,  and  a party  was  organized  to  hunt 
them.  The  bold  hunters  afterwards  boasted  that  they 
killed  every  one  of  this  little  band  of  survivors  of  their 
race. 

The  men  were  now  (in  the  middle  of  May)  greatly 
troubled  with  boils,  abscesses,  and  inflamed  eyes,  caused 
by  the  poison  of  the  alkali  that  covered  much  of  the 
ground  and  corrupted  the  water.  Here  is  an  entry  in  the 
journal  of  May  1 1 : — 


76 


First  Across  the  Continent 


“ About  five  in  the  afternoon  one  of  our  men  [Bratton], 
who  had  been  afflicted  with  boils  and  suffered  to  walk  on 
shore,  came  running  to  the  boats  with  loud  cries,  and 
every  symptom  of  terror  and  distress.  For  some  time 
after  we  had  taken  him  on  board  he  was  so  much  out  of 
breath  as  to  be  unable  to  describe  the  cause  of  his  anxi- 
ety; but  he  at  length  told  us  that  about  a mile  and  a 
half  below  he  had  shot  a brown  bear,  which  immediately 
turned  and  was  in  close  pursuit  of  him ; but  the  bear 
being  badly  wounded  could  not  overtake  him.  Captain 
Lewis,  with  seven  men,  immediately  went  in  search  of 
him;  having  found  his  track  they  followed  him  by  the 
blood  for  a mile,  found  him  concealed  in  some  thick 
brushwood,  and  shot  him  with  two  balls  through  the 
skull.  Though  somewhat  smaller  than  that  killed  a few 
days  ago,  he  was  a monstrous  animal,  and  a most  terrible 
enemy.  Our  man  had  shot  him  through  the  centre  of 
the  lungs;  yet  he  had  pursued  him  furiously  for  half  a 
mile,  then  returned  more  than  twice  that  distance,  and 
with  his  talons  prepared  himself  a bed  in  the  earth  two 
feet  deep  and  five  feet  long;  he  was  perfectly  alive  when 
they  found  him,  which  was  at  least  two  hours  after  he 
had  received  the  wound.  The  wonderful  power  of  life 
which  these  animals  possess  renders  them  dreadful ; their 
very  track  in  the  mud  or  sand,  which  we  have  sometimes 
found  eleven  inches  long  and  seven  and  one-fourth  wide, 
exclusive  of  the  talons,  is  alarming;  and  we  had  rather 
encounter  two  Indians  than  meet  a single  brown  bear. 
There  is  no  chance  of  killing  them  by  a single  shot 
unless  the  ball  goes  through  the  brain,  and  this  is  very 
difficult  on  account  of  two  large  muscles  which  cover  the 
side  of  the  forehead  and  the  sharp  projection  of  the  centre 
of  the  frontal  bone,  which  is  also  thick. 


In  the  Haunts  of  Grizzlies  and  Buffalo  77 


“ Our  camp  was  on  the  south,  at  the  distance  of  sixteen 
miles  from  that  of  last  night.  The  fleece  and  skin  of 
the  bear  were  a heavy  burden  for  two  men,  and  the  oil 
amounted  to  eight  gallons.” 

The  name  of  the  badly-scared  Bratton  was  bestowed 
upon  a creek  which  discharges  into  the  Missouri  near 
the  scene  of  this  encounter.  Game  continued  to  be  very 
abundant.  On  the  fourteenth,  according  to  the  journal, 
the  hunters  were  hunted,  to  their  great  discomfiture. 
The  account  says  : — 

“Toward  evening  the  men  in  the  hindmost  canoes  dis- 
covered a large  brown  [grizzly]  bear  lying  in  the  open 
grounds,  about  three  hundred  paces  from  the  river.  Six 
of  them,  all  good  hunters,  immediately  went  to  attack 
him,  and  concealing  themselves  by  a small  eminence 
came  unperceived  within  forty  paces  of  him.  Four  of 
the  hunters  now  fired,  and  each  lodged  a ball  in  his 
body,  two  of  them  directly  through  the  lungs.  The 
furious  animal  sprang  up  and  ran  open-mouthed  upon 
them. 

“ As  he  came  near,  the  two  hunters  who  had  reserved 
their  fire  gave  him  two  wounds,  one  of  which,  breaking 
his  shoulder,  retarded  his  motion  for  a moment;  but 
before  they  could  reload  he  was  so  near  that  they  were 
obliged  to  run  to  the  river,  and  before  they  had  reached 
it  he  had  almost  overtaken  them.  Two  jumped  into  the 
canoe;  the  other  four  separated,  and,  concealing  them- 
selves in  the  willows,  fired  as  fast  as  they  could  reload. 
They  struck  him  several  times,  but,  instead  of  weakening 
the  monster,  each  shot  seemed  only  to  direct  him  towards 
the  hunters,  till  at  last  he  pursued  two  of  them  so  closely 
that  they  threw  aside  their  guns  and  pouches,  and  jumped 
down  a perpendicular  bank  of  twenty  feet  into  the  river : 


78 


First  Across  the  Continent 


the  bear  sprang  after  them,  and  was  within  a few  feet  of 
the  hindmost,  when  one  of  the  hunters  on  shore  shot  him 
in  the  head,  and  finally  killed  him.  They  dragged  him 
to  the  shore,  and  found  that  eight  balls  had  passed 
through  him  in  different  directions.  The  bear  was  old, 
and  the  meat  tough,  so  that  they  took  the  skin  only,  and 
rejoined  us  at  camp,  where  we  had  been  as  much  terrified 
by  an  accident  of  a different  kind. 

“This  was  the  narrow  escape  of  one  of  our  canoes, 
containing  all  our  papers,  instruments,  medicine,  and 
almost  every  article  indispensable  for  the  success  of  our 
enterprise.  The  canoe  being  under  sail,  a sudden  squall 
of  wind  struck  her  obliquely  and  turned  her  considerably. 
The  man  at  the  helm,  who  was  unluckily  the  worst  steers- 
man of  the  party,  became  alarmed,  and,  instead  of  put- 
ting her  before  the  wind,  luffed  her  up  into  it.  The 
wind  was  so  high  that  it  forced  the  brace  of  the  square- 
sail  out  of  the  hand  of  the  man  who  was  attending  it,  and 
instantly  upset  the  canoe,  which  would  have  been  turned 
bottom  upward  but  for  the  resistance  made  by  the  awning. 
Such  was  the  confusion  on  board,  and  the  waves  ran  so 
high,  that  it  was  half  a minute  before  she  righted,  and 
then  nearly  full  of  water,  but  by  bailing  her  out  she  was 
kept  from  sinking  until  they  rowed  ashore.  Besides  the 
loss  of  the  lives  of  three  men,  who,  not  being  able  to 
swim,  would  probably  have  perished,  we  should  have 
been  deprived  of  nearly  everything  necessary  for  our 
purposes,  at  a distance  of  between  two  and  three  thou- 
sand miles  from  any  place  where  we  could  supply  the 
deficiency.” 

Fortunately,  there  was  no  great  loss  from  this  accident, 
which  was  caused  by  the  clumsiness  and  timidity  of  the 
steersman,  Chaboneau.  Captain  Lewis’s  account  of  the 


In  the  Haunts  of  Grizzlies  and  Buffalo  79 


incident  records  that  the  conduct  of  Chaboneau’s  wife, 
Sacajawea,  was  better  than  that  of  her  cowardly  husband. 
He  says : — 

“ The  Indian  woman,  to  whom  I ascribe  equal  fortitude 
and  resolution  with  any  person  on  board  at  the  time  of 
the  accident,  caught  and  preserved  most  of  the  light 
articles  which  were  washed  overboard.” 


Chapter  IX 

In  the  Solitudes  of  the  Upper  Missouri 

UNDER  date  of  May  17,  the  journal  of  the  party  has 
the  following  interesting  entries : — 

“We  set  out  early  and  proceeded  on  very  well;  the 
banks  being  firm  and  the  shore  bold,  we  were  enabled  to 
use  the  towline,  which,  whenever  the  banks  will  permit  it, 
is  the  safest  and  most  expeditious  mode  of  ascending  the 
river,  except  under  sail  with  a steady  breeze.  At  the  dis- 
tance of  ten  and  one-half  miles  we  came  to  the  mouth  of  a 
small  creek  on  the  south,  below  which  the  hills  approach 
the  river,  and  continue  near  it  during  the  day.  Three  miles 
further  is  a large  creek  on  the  north ; and  again,  six  and 
three-quarters  miles  beyond  this,  is  another  large  creek,  to 
the  south;  both  containing  a small  quantity  of  running 
water,  of  a brackish  taste.  The  last  we  called  Rattlesnake 
Creek,  from  our  seeing  that  animal  near  it.  Although  no 
timber  can  be  observed  on  it  from  the  Missouri,  it  throws 
out  large  quantities  of  driftwood,  among  which  were  some 
pieces  of  coal  brought  down  by  the  stream. 

“ The  game  is  in  great  quantities,  but  the  buffalo  are  not 
so  numerous  as  they  were  some  days  ago;  two  rattlesnakes 
were  seen  to-day,  and  one  of  them  was  killed.  It  resembles 
those  of  the  Middle  Atlantic  States,  being  about  thirty 
inches  long,  of  a yellowish  brown  on  the  back  and  sides, 
variegated  with  a row  of  oval  dark  brown  spots  lying 
transversely  on  the  back  from  the  neck  to  the  tail,  and  two 


In  the  Solitudes  of  the  Upper  Missouri  81 


other  rows  of  circular  spots  of  the  same  color  on  the  sides 
along  the  edge  of  the  scuta ; there  are  one  hundred  and 
seventy-six  scuta  on  the  belly,  and  seventeen  on  the  tail.” 

Two  days  later,  the  journal  records  that  one  of  the  party 
killed  a grizzly  bear,  “ which,  though  shot  through  the  heart, 
ran  at  his  usual  pace  nearly  a quarter  of  a mile  before  he 
fell.” 

The  mouth  of  the  Musselshell  River,  which  was  one  of 
the  notable  points  that  marked  another  stage  in  the  jour- 
ney, was  reached  on  the  twentieth  of  May.  This  stream 
empties  into  the  Missouri  two  thousand  two  hundred  and 
seventy  miles  above  its  mouth,  and  is  still  known  by  the 
name  given  it  by  its  discoverers.  The  journal  says: 

“ It  is  one  hundred  and  ten  yards  wide,  and  contains 
more  water  than  streams  of  that  size  usually  do  in  this 
country;  its  current  is  by  no  means  rapid,  and  there  is 
every  appearance  of  its  being  susceptible  of  navigation  by 
canoes  for  a considerable  distance.  Its  bed  is  chiefly  formed 
of  coarse  sand  and  gravel,  with  an  occasional  mixture  of 
black  mud ; the  banks  are  abrupt  and  nearly  twelve  feet 
high,  so  that  they  are  secure  from  being  overflowed ; the 
water  is  of  a greenish-yellow  cast,  and  much  more  trans- 
parent than  that  of  the  Missouri,  which  itself,  though 
clearer  than  below,  still  retains  its  whitish  hue  and  a por- 
tion of  its  sediment.  Opposite  the  point  of  junction  the 
current  of  the  Missouri  is  gentle,  and  two  hundred  and 
twenty-two  yards  in  width ; the  bed  is  principally  of  mud, 
the  little  sand  remaining  being  wholly  confined  to  the  points, 
and  the  water  is  still  too  deep  to  use  the  setting-pole. 

“ If  this  be,  as  we  suppose,  the  Musselshell,  our  Indian 
information  is  that  it  rises  in  the  first  chain  of  the  Rocky 
mountains  not  far  from  the  sources  of  the  Yellowstone, 
whence  in  its  course  to  this  place  it  waters  a high  broken 

6 


82 


First  Across  the  Continent 


country,  well  timbered,  particularly  on  its  borders,  and  in- 
terspersed with  handsome  fertile  plains  and  meadows.  We 
have  reason,  however,  to  believe,  from  their  giving  a simi- 
lar account  of  the  timber  where  we  now  are,  that  the 
timber  of  which  they  speak  is  similar  to  that  which  we 
have  seen  for  a few  days  past,  which  consists  of  nothing 
more  than  a few  straggling  small  pines  and  dwarf  cedars 
on  the  summits  of  the  hills,  nine-tenths  of  the  ground  being 
totally  destitute  of  wood,  and  covered  with  short  grass, 
aromatic  herbs,  and  an  immense  quantity  of  prickly-pear ; 
though  the  party  who  explored  it  for  eight  miles  repre- 
sented the  low  grounds  on  the  river  to  be  well  supplied 
with  cottonwood  of  a tolerable  size,  and  of  an  excellent 
soil.  They  also  report  that  the  country  is  broken  and 
irregular,  like  that  near  our  camp ; and  that  about  five 
miles  up,  a handsome  river,  about  fifty  yards  wide,  which 
we  named  after  Chaboneau’s  wife,  Sacajawea’s  or  the  Bird- 
woman’s  River,  discharges  into  the  Musselshell  on  the  north 
or  upper  side.” 

Later  explorations  have  shown  that  the  Musselshell  rises 
in  the  Little  Belt  Mountains,  considerably  to  the  north  of 
the  sources  of  the  Yellowstone.  Modern  geography  has 
also  taken  from  the  good  Sacajawea  the  honor  of  having 
her  name  bestowed  on  one  of  the  branches  of  the  Mussel- 
shell. The  stream  once  named  for  her  is  now  known  as 
Crooked  Creek:  it  joins  the  river  near  its  mouth,  in  the 
central  portion  of  Montana.  The  journal,  under  date  of 
May  22,  has  this  entry:  — 

“ The  river  [the  Missouri]  continues  about  two  hundred 
and  fifty  yards  wide,  with  fewer  sand-bars,  and  the  current 
more  gentle  and  regular.  Game  is  no  longer  in  such 
abundance  since  leaving  the  Musselshell.  We  have  caught 
very  few  fish  on  this  side  of  the  Mandans,  and  these  were 


In  the  Solitudes  of  the  Upper  Missouri  83 


the  white  catfish,  of  two  to  five  pounds.  We  killed  a deer 
and  a bear.  We  have  not  seen  in  this  quarter  the  black 
bear,  common  in  the  United  States  and  on  the  lower  parts 
of  the  Missouri,  nor  have  we  discerned  any  of  their  tracks. 
They  may  easily  be  distinguished  by  the  shortness  of  the 
talons  from  the  brown,  grizzly,  or  white  bear,  all  of  which 
seem  to  be  of  the  same  species,  which  assumes  those  colors 
at  different  seasons  of  the  year.  We  halted  earlier  than 
usual,  and  camped  on  the  north,  in  a point  of  woods,  at 
the  distance  of  sixteen  and  one  half  miles  [thus  past  the 
site  of  Fort  Hawley,  on  the  south].” 

Notwithstanding  the  advance  of  the  season,  the  weather 
in  those  great  altitudes  grew  more  and  more  cold.  Under 
date  of  May  23,  the  journal  records  the  fact  that  ice  ap- 
peared along  the  edges  of  the  river,  and  water  froze  upon 
their  oars.  But  notwithstanding  the  coolness  of  the  nights 
and  mornings,  mosquitoes  were  very  troublesome. 

The  explorers  judged  that  the  cold  was  somewhat  unusual 
for  that  locality,  inasmuch  as  the  cottonwood  trees  lost 
their  leaves  by  the  frost,  showing  that  vegetation,  generally 
well  suited  to  the  temperature  of  its  country,  or  habitat, 
had  been  caught  by  an  unusual  nip  of  the  frost.  The  ex- 
plorers noticed  that  the  air  of  those  highlands  was  so  pure 
and  clear  that  objects  appeared  to  be  much  nearer  than 
they  really  were.  A man  who  was  sent  out  to  explore  the 
country  attempted  to  reach  a ridge  (now  known  as  the 
Little  Rocky  Mountains),  apparently  about  fifteen  miles 
from  the  river.  He  travelled  about  ten  miles,  but  finding 
himself  not  halfway  to  the  object  of  his  search,  he  returned 
without  reaching  it. 

The  party  was  now  just  westward  of  the  site  of  the  pres- 
ent town  of  Carroll,  Montana,  on  the  Missouri.  Their 
journal  says : — 


84 


First  Across  the  Continent 


“ The  low  grounds  are  narrow  and  without  timber ; the 
country  is  high  and  broken ; a large  portion  of  black  rock 
and  brown  sandy  rock  appears  in  the  face  of  the  hills,  the 
tops  of  which  are  covered  with  scattered  pine,  spruce,  and 
dwarf  cedar ; the  soil  is  generally  poor,  sandy  near  the  tops 
of  the  hills,  and  nowhere  producing  much  grass,  the  low 
grounds  being  covered  with  little  else  than  the  hyssop,  or 
southernwood,  and  the  pulpy-leaved  thorn.  Game  is  more 
scarce,  particularly  beaver,  of  which  we  have  seen  but  few 
for  several  days,  and  the  abundance  or  scarcity  of  which 
seems  to  depend  on  the  greater  or  less  quantity  of  timber. 
At  twenty-four  and  one-half  miles  we  reached  a point  of 
woodland  on  the  south,  where  we  observed  that  the  trees 
had  no  leaves,  and  camped  for  the  night.” 

The  “ hyssop,  or  southernwood,”  the  reader  now  knows 
to  be  the  wild  sage,  or  sage-brush.  The  “ pulpy-leaved 
thorn  ” mentioned  in  the  journal  is  the  greasewood ; and 
both  of  these  shrubs  flourish  in  the  poverty-stricken,  sandy, 
alkaline  soil  of  the  far  West  and  Northwest.  The  woody 
fibre  of  these  furnished  the  only  fuel  available  for  early 
overland  emigrants  to  the  Pacific. 

The  character  of  this  country  now  changed  considerably 
as  the  explorers  turned  to  the  northward,  in  their  crooked 
course,  with  the  river.  On  the  twenty-fifth  of  May  the 
journal  records  this:  — 

“ The  country  on  each  side  is  high,  broken,  and  rocky ; 
the  rock  being  either  a soft  brown  sandstone,  covered  with 
a thin  stratum  of  limestone,  or  else  a hard,  black,  rugged 
granite,  both  usually  in  horizontal  strata,  and  the  sand-rock 
overlaying  the  other.  Salts  and  quartz,  as  well  as  some 
coal  and  pumice-stone,  still  appear.  The  bars  of  the  river 
are  composed  principally  of  gravel ; the  river  low  grounds 
are  narrow,  and  afford  scarcely  any  timber ; nor  is  there 


In  the  Solitudes  of  the  Upper  Missouri  85 


much  pine  on  the  hills.  The  buffalo  have  now  become 
scarce;  we  saw  a polecat  [skunk]  this  evening,  which  was 
the  first  for  several  days ; in  the  course  of  the  day  we  also 
saw  several  herds  of  the  bighorned  animals  among  the 
steep  cliffs  on  the  north,  and  killed  several  of  them.” 

The  bighorned  animals,  the  first  of  which  were  killed 
here,  were  sometimes  called  “ Rocky  Mountain  sheep.” 
But  sheep  they  were  not,  bearing  hair  and  not  wool.  As 
we  have  said,  they  are  now  more  commonly  known  as 
bighorns. 

The  patience  of  the  explorers  was  rewarded,  on  Sunday, 
May  26,  1806,  by  their  first  view  of  the  Rocky  Mountains. 
Here  is  the  journal’s  record  on  that  date : — 

“ It  was  here  [Cow  Creek,  Mont.]  that,  after  ascending 
the  highest  summit  of  the  hills  on  the  north  side  of  the 
river,  Captain  Lewis  first  caught  a distant  view  of  the  Rock 
mountains  — the  object  of  all  our  hopes,  and  the  reward  of 
all  our  ambition.  On  both  sides  of  the  river,  and  at  no 
great  distance  from  it,  the  mountains  followed  its  course. 
Above  these,  at  the  distance  of  fifty  miles  from  us,  an  irreg- 
ular range  of  mountains  spread  from  west  to  northwest 
from  his  position.  To  the  north  of  these,  a few  elevated 
points,  the  most  remarkable  of  which  bore  N.  65°  W., 
appeared  above  the  horizon ; and  as  the  sun  shone  on  the 
snows  of  their  summits,  he  obtained  a clear  and  satisfactory 
view  of  those  mountains  which  close  on  the  Missouri  the 
passage  to  the  Pacific.” 

As  they  continued  to  ascend  the  Missouri  they  found 
themselves  confronted  by  many  considerable  rapids  which 
sometimes  delayed  their  progress.  They  also  set  forth 
this  observation  : “ The  only  animals  we  have  observed  are 
the  elk,  the  bighorn,  and  the  hare  common  to  this  coun- 
try.” Wayfarers  across  the  plains  now  call  this  hare  the 


86 


First  Across  the  Continent 


jack-rabbit.  The  river  soon  became  very  rapid  with  a 
marked  descent,  indicating  their  nearness  to  its  mountain 
sources.  The  journal  says : — 

“ Its  general  width  is  about  two  hundred  yards ; the  shoals 
are  more  frequent,  and  the  rocky  points  at  the  mouths 
of  the  gullies  more  troublesome  to  pass.  Great  quantities 
of  stone  lie  in  the  river  and  on  its  bank,  and  seem  to  have 
fallen  down  as  the  rain  washed  away  the  clay  and  sand  in 
which  they  were  imbedded.  The  water  is  bordered  by 
high,  rugged  bluffs,  composed  of  irregular  but  horizontal 
strata  of  yellow  and  brown  or  black  clay,  brown  and 
yellowish-white  sand,  soft  yellowish-white  sandstone,  and 
hard  dark  brown  freestone;  also,  large  round  kidney- 
formed  irregular  separate  masses  of  a hard  black  ironstone, 
imbedded  in  the  clay  and  sand ; some  coal  or  carbonated 
wood  also  makes  its  appearance  in  the  cliffs,  as  do  its  usual 
attendants,  the  pumice-stone  and  burnt  earth.  The  salts 
and  quartz  are  less  abundant,  and,  generally  speaking,  the 
country  is,  if  possible,  more  rugged  and  barren  than  that 
we  passed  yesterday ; the  only  growth  of  the  hills  being  a 
few  pine,  spruce,  and  dwarf  cedar,  interspersed  with  an 
occasional  contrast,  once  in  the  course  of  some  miles,  of 
several  acres  of  level  ground,  which  supply  a scanty  sub- 
sistence for  a few  little  cottonwoods.” 

But,  a few  days  later,  the  party  passed  out  of  this  in- 
hospitable region,  and,  after  passing  a stream  which  they 
named  Thompson’s  (now  Birch)  Creek,  after  one  of  their 
men,  they  were  glad  to  make  this  entry  in  their  diary: 

“ Here  the  country  assumed  a totally  different  aspect : 
the  hills  retired  on  both  sides  from  the  river,  which  spreads 
to  more  than  three  times  its  former  size,  and  is  filled  with 
a number  of  small  handsome  islands  covered  with  cotton- 
wood. The  low  grounds  on  its  banks  are  again  wide, 


In  the  Solitudes  of  the  Upper  Missouri  87 


fertile,  and  enriched  with  trees : those  on  the  north  are 
particularly  wide,  the  hills  being  comparatively  low,  and 
opening  into  three  large  valleys,  which  extend  themselves 
for  a considerable  distance  towards  the  north.  These  ap- 
pearances of  vegetation  are  delightful  after  the  dreary  hills 
among  which  we  have  passed ; and  we  have  now  to  con- 
gratulate ourselves  at  having  escaped  from  the  last  ridges 
of  the  Black  Mountains.  On  leaving  Thompson’s  Creek 
we  passed  two  small  islands,  and  at  twenty-three  miles’ 
distance  encamped  among  some  timber;  on  the  north, 
opposite  to  a small  creek,  which  we  named  Bull  Creek. 
The  bighorn  are  in  great  quantities,  and  must  bring  forth 
their  young  at  a very  early  season,  as  they  are  now  half 
grown.  One  of  the  party  saw  a large  bear  also ; but, 
being  at  a distance  from  the  river,  and  having  no  timber 
to  conceal  him,  he  would  not  venture  to  fire.” 

A curious  adventure  happened  on  the  twenty- eighth,  of 
which  the  journal,  next  day,  makes  this  mention : — 

“ Last  night  we  were  alarmed  by  a new  sort  of  enemy. 
A buffalo  swam  over  from  the  opposite  side,  and  to  the 
spot  where  lay  one  of  our  canoes,  over  which  he  clambered 
to  the  shore : then,  taking  fright,  he  ran  full  speed  up  the 
bank  towards  our  fires,  and  passed  within  eighteen  inches 
of  the  heads  of  some  of  the  men  before  the  sentinel  could 
make  him  change  his  course.  Still  more  alarmed,  he  ran 
down  between  four  fires,  and  within  a few  inches  of  the 
heads  of  a second  row  of  the  men,  and  would  have  broken 
into  our  lodge  if  the  barking  of  the  dog  had  not  stopped  him. 
He  suddenly  turned  to  the  right,  and  was  out  of  sight  in  a 
moment,  leaving  us  all  in  confusion,  every  one  seizing  his 
rifle  and  inquiring  the  cause  of  the  alarm.  On  learning 
what  had  happened,  we  had  to  rejoice  at  suffering  no  more 
injury  than  some  damage  to  the  guns  that  were  in  the 
canoe  which  the  buffalo  crossed. 


88 


First  Across  the  Continent 


. . . “We  passed  an  island  and  two  sand-bars,  and  at 
the  distance  of  two  and  a half  miles  came  to  a handsome 
river,  which  discharges  itself  on  the  south,  and  which  we 
ascended  to  the  distance  of  a mile  and  a half : we  called  it 
Judith’s  River.  It  rises  in  the  Rocky  Mountains,  in  about 
the  same  place  with  the  Musselshell,  and  near  the  Yellow- 
stone River.  Its  entrance  is  one  hundred  yards  wide  from 
one  bank  to  the  other,  the  water  occupying  about  seventy- 
five  yards,  and  being  in  greater  quantity  than  that  of  the 
Musselshell  River.  . . . There  were  great  numbers  of  the 
argalea,  or  bighorned  animals,  in  the  high  country  through 
which  it  passes,  and  of  beaver  in  its  waters.  Just  above 
the  entrance  of  it  we  saw  the  ashes  of  the  fires  of  one 
hundred  and  twenty-six  lodges,  which  appeared  to  have 
been  deserted  about  twelve  or  fifteen  days.” 

Leaving  Judith’s  River,  named  for  a sweet  Virginia  lass, 
the  explorers  sailed,  or  were  towed,  seventeen  miles  up 
the  river,  where  they  camped  at  the  mouth  of  a bold,  run- 
ning river  to  which  they  gave  the  name  of  Slaughter  River. 
The  stream  is  now  known  as  the  Arrow;  the  appropriate- 
ness of  the  title  conferred  on  the  stream  by  Lewis  and 
Clark  appears  from  the  story  which  they  tell  of  their 
experience  just  below  “ Slaughter  River,”  as  follows : 

“ On  the  north  we  passed  a precipice  about  one  hundred 
and  twenty  feet  high,  under  which  lay  scattered  the  frag- 
ments of  at  least  one  hundred  carcasses  of  buffaloes, 
although  the  water  which  had  washed  away  the  lower 
part  of  the  hill  must  have  carried  off  many  of  the  dead. 
These  buffaloes  had  been  chased  down  the  precipice  in 
a way  very  common  on  the  Missouri,  by  which  vast  herds 
are  destroyed  in  a moment.  The  mode  of  hunting  is 
to  select  one  of  the  most  active  and  fleet  young  men, 
who  is  disguised  by  a buffalo-skin  round  his  body;  the 


Indians  disguised  as  Buffaloes 


In  the  Solitudes  of  the  Upper  Missouri  89 


skin  of  the  head  with  the  ears  and  horns  being  fastened 
on  his  own  head  in  such  a way  as  to  deceive  the  buffalo. 
Thus  dressed,  he  fixes  himself  at  a convenient  distance 
between  a herd  of  buffalo  and  any  of  the  river  preci- 
pices, which  sometimes  extend  for  some  miles.  His 
companions  in  the  mean  time  get  in  the  rear  and  side  of 
the  herd,  and  at  a given  signal  show  themselves  and 
advance  toward  the  buffaloes.  These  instantly  take  the 
alarm,  and  finding  the  hunters  beside  them,  they  run 
toward  the  disguised  Indian  or  decoy,  who  leads  them  on 
at  full  speed  toward  the  river;  when,  suddenly  securing 
himself  in  some  crevice  of  the  cliff  which  he  had  previously 
fixed  on,  the  herd  is  left  on  the  brink  of  the  precipice.  It 
is  then  in  vain  for  the  foremost  buffaloes  to  retreat  or  even 
to  stop ; they  are  pressed  on  by  the  hindmost  rank,  which, 
seeing  no  danger  but  from  the  hunters,  goad  on  those 
before  them  till  the  whole  are  precipitated,  and  the  shore 
is  strewn  with  their  dead  bodies.  Sometimes,  in  this 
perilous  seduction,  the  Indian  is  himself  either  trodden 
under  foot  by  the  rapid  movements  of  the  buffaloes,  or 
missing  his  footing  in  the  cliff  is  urged  down  the  precipice 
by  the  falling  herd.  The  Indians  then  select  as  much 
meat  as  they  wish ; the  rest  is  abandoned  to  the  wolves, 
and  creates  a most  dreadful  stench.  The  wolves  which 
had  been  feasting  on  these  carcasses  were  very  fat,  and  so 
gentle  that  one  of  them  was  killed  with  an  espontoon.”  1 
The  dryness  and  purity  of  the  air  roused  the  admiration 
of  the  explorers,  who  noticed  that  the  woodwork  of  the 
cases  of  their  instruments  shrank,  and  the  joints  opened, 
although  the  wood  was  old  and  perfectly  seasoned.  A 
tablespoonful  of  water,  exposed  to  the  air  in  an  open 
saucer,  would  wholly  evaporate  in  thirty-six  hours,  when 

1 A short  spear. 


9° 


First  Across  the  Continent 


the  thermometer  did  not  mark  higher  than  the  “ Tem- 
perate ” point  at  the  warmest  hour  of  the  day.  Contrary 
to  their  expectations,  they  had  not  yet  met  with  any 
Indians,  although  they  saw  many  signs  of  their  having 
recently  been  in  that  vicinity.  The  journal  says : 

“ In  the  course  of  the  day  [May  30]  we  passed  several 
encampments  of  Indians,  the  most  recent  of  which  seemed 
to  have  been  evacuated  about  five  weeks  since ; and,  from 
the  several  apparent  dates,  we  supposed  that  they  were 
formed  by  a band  of  about  one  hundred  lodges,  who  were 
travelling  slowly  up  the  river.  Although  no  part  of  the 
Missouri  from  the  Minnetarees  to  this  place  exhibits  signs 
of  permanent  settlements,  yet  none  seem  exempt  from 
the  transient  visits  of  hunting-parties.  We  know  that  the 
Minnetarees  of  the  Missouri  extend  their  excursions  on 
the  south  side  of  the  river  as  high  as  the  Yellowstone,  and 
the  Assiniboins  visit  the  northern  side,  most  probably  as 
high  as  Porcupine  River.  All  the  lodges  between  that 
place  and  the  Rocky  Mountains  we  supposed  to  belong 
to  the  Minnetarees  of  Fort  de  Prairie,  who  live  on  the 
south  fork  of  the  Saskashawan.” 

The  party  now  entered  upon  some  of  the  natural 
wonders  of  the  West,  which  have  since  become  famous. 
Their  journal  says : — 

“ These  hills  and  river-cliffs  exhibit  a most  extraordinary 
and  romantic  appearance.  They  rise  in  most  places  nearly 
perpendicular  from  the  water,  to  the  height  of  between  two 
hundred  and  three  hundred  feet,  and  are  formed  of  very 
white  sandstone,  so  soft  as  to  yield  readily  to  the  impression 
of  water,  in  the  upper  part  of  which  lie  imbedded  two  or  three 
thin  horizontal  strata  of  white  freestone,  insensible  to  the 
rain ; on  the  top  is  a dark  rich  loam,  which  forms  a gradually 
ascending  plain,  from  a mile  to  a mile  and  a half  in  extent, 


In  the  Solitudes  of  the  Upper  Missouri  91 


when  the  hills  again  rise  abruptly  to  the  height  of  about 
three  hundred  feet  more.  In  trickling  down  the  cliffs,  the 
water  has  worn  the  soft  sandstone  into  a thousand  grotesque 
figures,  among  which,  with  a little  fancy,  may  be  discerned 
elegant  ranges  of  freestone  buildings,  with  columns  vari- 
ously sculptured,  and  supporting  long  and  elegant  galler- 
ies, while  the  parapets  are  adorned  with  statuary.  On  a 
nearer  approach  they  represent  every  form  of  elegant 
ruins  — columns,  some  with  pedestals  and  capitals  entire, 
others  mutilated  and  prostrate,  and  some  rising  pyrami- 
dally over  each  other  till  they  terminate  in  a sharp  point. 
These  are  varied  by  niches,  alcoves,  and  the  customary 
appearances  of  desolated  magnificence.  The  illusion  is 
increased  by  the  number  of  martins,  which  have  built  their 
globular  nests  in  the  niches,  and  hover  over  these  columns, 
as  in  our  country  they  are  accustomed  to  frequent  large 
stone  structures.  As  we  advance  there  seems  no  end  to 
the  visionary  enchantment  which  surrounds  us. 

“ In  the  midst  of  this  fantastic  scenery  are  vast  ranges  of 
walls,  which  seem  the  productions  of  art,  so  regular  is  the 
workmanship.  They  rise  perpendicularly  from  the  river, 
sometimes  to  the  height  of  one  hundred  feet,  varying  in 
thickness  from  one  to  twelve  feet,  being  as  broad  at  the  top 
as  below.  The  stones  of  which  they  are  formed  are  black, 
thick,  durable,  and  composed  of  a large  portion  of  earth, 
intermixed  and  cemented  with  a small  quantity  of  sand 
and  a considerable  proportion  of  talk  [talc]  or  quartz. 
These  stones  are  almost  invariably  regular  parallelopipeds 
of  unequal  sizes  in  the  wall,  but  equally  deep  and  laid  regu- 
larly in  ranges  over  each  other  like  bricks,  each  breaking 
and  covering  the  interstice  of  the  two  on  which  it  rests ; 
but  though  the  perpendicular  interstice  be  destroyed,  the 
horizontal  one  extends  entirely  through  the  whole  work. 


92 


First  Across  the  Continent 


The  stones  are  proportioned  to  the  thickness  of  the  wall 
in  which  they  are  employed,  being  largest  in  the  thickest 
walls.  The  thinner  walls  are  composed  of  a single  depth 
of  the  parallelopiped,  while  the  thicker  ones  consist  of  two 
or  more  depths.  These  walls  pass  the  river  at  several 
places,  rising  from  the  water’s  edge  much  above  the  sand- 
stone bluffs,  which  they  seem  to  penetrate;  thence  they 
cross  in  a straight  line,  on  either  side  of  the  river,  the 
plains,  over  which  they  tower  to  the  height  of  from  ten  to 
seventy  feet,  until  they  lose  themselves  in  the  second  range 
of  hills.  Sometimes  they  run  parallel  in  several  ranges 
near  to  each  other,  sometimes  intersect  each  other  at  right 
angles,  and  have  the  appearance  of  walls  of  ancient  houses 
or  gardens.” 

The  wall-like,  canyon  formations  were  charted  by  Lewis 
and  Clark  as  “ The  Stone  Walls.”  Their  fantastic  outlines 
have  been  admired  and  described  by  modern  tourists,  and 
some  of  them  have  been  named  “ Cathedral  Rocks,”  “ Cita- 
del Rock,”  “ Hole  in  the  Wall,”  and  so  on. 

Passing  out  of  this  wonderful  region,  the  expedition 
entered  upon  a more  level  country,  here  and  there  broken 
by  bluffy  formations  which  extended  along  the  river,  occa- 
sionally interspersed  with  low  hills.  Their  journal  says : 

“ In  the  plains  near  the  river  are  the  choke-cherry,  yellow 
and  red  currant  bushes,  as  well  as  the  wild  rose  and  prickly 
pear,  both  of  which  are  now  in  bloom.  From  the  tops  of 
the  river-hills,  which  are  lower  than  usual,  we  enjoyed  a 
delightful  view  of  the  rich,  fertile  plains  on  both  sides,  in 
many  places  extending  from  the  river-cliffs  to  a great  dis- 
tance back.  In  these  plains  we  meet,  occasionally,  large 
banks  of  pure  sand,  which  were  driven  apparently  by  the 
southwest  winds  and  there  deposited.  The  plains  are 
more  fertile  some  distance  from  the  river  than  near  its 


In  the  Solitudes  of  the  Upper  Missouri  93 


banks,  where  the  surface  of  the  earth  is  very  generally 
strewed  with  small  pebbles,  which  appear  to  be  smoothed 
and  worn  by  the  agitation  of  the  waters  with  which  they 
were,  no  doubt,  once  covered.” 

Under  date  of  June  2d,  the  journal  says : — 

“ The  current  of  the  river  is  strong  but  regular,  the  tim- 
ber increases  in  quantity,  the  low  grounds  become  more 
level  and  extensive,  and  the  bluffs  are  lower  than  before. 
As  the  game  is  very  abundant,  we  think  it  necessary  to 
begin  a collection  of  hides  for  the  purpose  of  making  a 
leathern  boat,  which  we  intend  constructing  shortly.  The 
hunters,  who  were  out  the  greater  part  of  the  day,  brought 
in  six  elk,  two  buffalo,  two  mule-deer,  and  a bear.  This 
last  animal  had  nearly  cost  us  the  lives  of  two  of  our  hunt- 
ers, who  were  together  when  he  attacked  them.  One  of 
them  narrowly  escaped  being  caught,  and  the  other,  after 
running  a considerable  distance,  concealed  himself  in  some 
thick  bushes,  and,  while  the  bear  was  in  quick  pursuit  of 
his  hiding-place,  his  companion  came  up,  and  fortunately 
shot  the  animal  through  the  head.” 

Here  the  party  came  to  the  mouth  of  a large  river  which 
entered  the  Missouri  from  the  northwest,  at  the  site  of  the 
latter-day  town  of  Ophir,  Montana.  This  stream  they 
named  Maria’s  River,  in  honor  of  another  Virginia  dam- 
sel. So  large  and  important  in  appearance  was  Maria’s 
River  that  the  explorers  were  not  certain  which  was  the 
main  stream,  that  which  came  in  from  the  north,  or  that 
which,  flowing  here  in  a general  course  from  southwest  to 
northeast,  was  really  the  true  Missouri.  The  journal  says : 
“ It  now  became  an  interesting  question,  which  of  these 
two  streams  is  what  the  Minnetarees  call  Ahmateahza, 
or  Missouri,  which  they  describe  as  approaching  very  near 
to  the  Columbia.  On  our  right  decision  much  of  the  fate 


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First  Across  the  Continent 


of  the  expedition  depends;  since  if,  after  ascending  to  the 
Rocky  Mountains  or  beyond  them,  we  should  find  that  the 
river  we  were  following  did  not  come  near  the  Columbia, 
and  be  obliged  to  return,  we  should  not  only  lose  the 
travelling  season,  two  months  of  which  have  already 
elapsed,  but  probably  dishearten  the  men  so  much  as  to 
induce  them  either  to  abandon  the  enterprise,  or  yield  us 
a cold  obedience,  instead  of  the  warm  and  zealous  sup- 
port which  they  have  hitherto  afforded  us.  We  deter- 
mined, therefore,  to  examine  well  before  we  decided  on 
our  future  course.  For  this  purpose  we  despatched  two 
canoes  with  three  men  up  each  of  the  streams,  with  orders 
to  ascertain  the  width,  depth,  and  rapidity  of  the  current, 
so  as  to  judge  of  their  comparative  bodies  of  water.  At 
the  same  time  parties  were  sent  out  by  land  to  penetrate 
the  country,  and  discover  from  the  rising  grounds,  if  possi- 
ble, the  distant  bearings  of  the  two  rivers;  and  all  were 
directed  to  return  toward  evening. 

Both  parties  returned  without  bringing  any  information 
that  would  settle  the  point.  Which  was  the  true  Missouri 
still  remained  uncertain.  Under  these  circumstances,  it 
became  necessary  that  there  should  be  a more  thorough 
exploration,  and  the  next  morning  Captains  Lewis  and 
Clark  set  out  at  the  head  of  two  separate  parties,  the 
former  to  examine  the  north,  and  the  latter  the  south  fork. 
In  his  progress  Captain  Lewis  and  his  party  were  fre- 
quently obliged  to  quit  the  course  of  the  river  and  cross 
the  plains  and  hills,  but  he  did  not  lose  sight  of  its  general 
direction,  and  carefully  took  the  bearings  of  the  distant 
mountains.  On  the  morning  of  the  third  day  he  became 
convinced  that  this  river  pursued  a course  too  far  north 
for  his  contemplated  route  to  the  Pacific,  and  he  accord- 


In  the  Solitudes  of  the  Upper  Missouri  95 


ingly  determined  to  return,  but  judged  it  advisable  to  wait 
till  noon,  that  he  might  obtain  a meridian  altitude.  In 
this,  however,  he  was  disappointed,  owing  to  the  state  of 
the  weather.  Much  rain  had  fallen,  and  their  return  was 
somewhat  difficult,  and  not  unattended  with  danger,  as  the 
following  incident,  which  occurred  on  June  7th,  will  show: 

“ In  passing  along  the  side  of  a bluff  at  a narrow  pass 
thirty  yards  in  length,  Captain  Lewis  slipped,  and,  but  for 
a fortunate  recovery  by  means  of  his  spontoon,  would  have 
been  precipitated  into  the  river  over  a precipice  of  about 
ninety  feet.  He  had  just  reached  a spot  where,  by  the  assist- 
ance of  his  spontoon,  he  could  stand  with  tolerable  safety, 
when  he  heard  a voice  behind  him  cry  out,  ‘ Good  God, 
captain,  what  shall  Ido?’  He  turned  instantly,  and  found 
it  was  Windsor,  who  had  lost  his  foothold  about  the  middle 
of  the  narrow  pass,  and  had  slipped  down  to  the  very  verge 
of  the  precipice,  where  he  lay  on  his  belly,  with  his  right 
arm  and  leg  over  it,  while  with  the  other  leg  and  arm  he 
was  with  difficulty  holding  on,  to  keep  himself  from  being 
dashed  to  pieces  below.  His  dreadful  situation  was  in- 
stantly perceived  by  Captain  Lewis,  who,  stifling  his  alarm, 
calmly  told  him  that  he  was  in  no  danger ; that  he  should 
take  his  knife  out  of  his  belt  with  his  right  hand,  and  dig 
a hole  in  the  side  of  the  bluff  to  receive  his  right  foot. 
With  great  presence  of  mind  he  did  this,  and  then  raised 
himself  on  his  knees.  Captain  Lewis  then  told  him  to 
take  off  his  moccasins  and  come  forward  on  his  hands  and 
knees,  holding  the  knife  in  one  hand  and  his  rifle  in  the 
other.  He  immediately  crawled  in  this  way  till  he  came 
to  a secure  spot.  The  men  who  had  not  attempted  this 
passage  were  ordered  to  return  and  wade  the  river  at  the 
foot  of  the  bluff,  where  they  found  the  water  breast-high. 
This  adventure  taught  them  the  danger  of  crossing  the 


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First  Across  the  Continent 


slippery  heights  of  the  river ; but  as  the  plains  were  inter- 
sected by  deep  ravines,  almost  as  difficult  to  pass,  they 
continued  down  the  river,  sometimes  in  the  mud  of  the 
low  grounds,  sometimes  up  to  their  arms  in  the  water; 
and  when  it  became  too  deep  to  wade,  they  cut  footholds 
with  their  knives  in  the  sides  of  the  banks.  In  this  way 
they  travelled  through  the  rain,  mud,  and  water,  and  having 
made  only  eighteen  miles  during  the  whole  day,  camped 
in  an  old  Indian  lodge  of  sticks,  which  afforded  them  a dry 
shelter.  Here  they  cooked  part  of  six  deer  they  had 
killed  in  the  course  of  their  walk,  and  having  eaten  the 
only  morsel  they  had  tasted  during  the  whole  day,  slept 
comfortably  on  some  willow-boughs.” 


Chapter  X 

To  the  Great  Falls  of  the  Missouri 

NEXT  day,  June  8,  the  Lewis  party  returned  to  the 
main  body  of  the  expedition.  They  reported  that 
timber  was  scarce  along  the  river,  except  in  the  lowlands, 
where  there  were  pretty  groves  and  thickets.  These  trees, 
the  journal  says,  were  the  haunts  of  innumerable  birds, 
which,  as  the  sun  rose,  sung  delightfully:  — 

“ Among  these  birds  they  distinguished  the  brown  thrush, 
robin,  turtle-dove,  linnet,  gold-finch,  large  and  small  black- 
bird, wren,  and  some  others.  As  they  came  along,  the 
whole  party  were  of  opinion  that  this  river  was  the  true 
Missouri ; but  Captain  Lewis,  being  fully  persuaded  that 
it  was  neither  the  main  stream,  nor  that  which  it  would 
be  advisable  to  ascend,  gave  it  the  name  of  Maria’s  River. 
After  travelling  all  day  they  reached  camp  about  five 
o’clock  in  the  afternoon,  and  found  Captain  Clark  and  the 
party  very  anxious  for  their  safety.  As  they  had  stayed  two 
days  longer  than  had  been  expected,  and  as  Captain  Clark 
had  returned  at  the  appointed  time,  it  was  feared  that  they 
had  met  with  some  accident.” 

As  we  now  know,  the  stream  that  came  in  from  the 
north  was  that  which  is  still  called  Maria’s  (or  Marais) 
River,  and  the  so-called  branch  from  the  southwest  was 
the  Missouri  River.  Lewis  and  Clark,  however,  were  in 
the  dark  as  to  the  relations  of  the  two  streams.  Which 
was  the  parent?  Which  was  the  branch?  After  pon- 
dering all  the  evidence  that  could  be  collected  to  bear  on 

7 


98 


First  Across  the  Continent 


the  important  question,  the  two  captains  agreed  that  the 
southern  stream  was  the  true  Missouri,  and  the  northern 
stream  was  an  important  branch.  The  journal  says: 

“ These  observations,  which  satisfied  our  minds  com- 
pletely, we  communicated  to  the  party;  but  every  one  of 
them  was  of  a contrary  opinion.  Much  of  their  belief  de- 
pended on  Crusatte,  an  experienced  waterman  on  the  Mis- 
souri, who  gave  it  as  his  decided  judgment  that  the  north 
fork  was  the  genuine  Missouri.  The  men,  therefore,  men- 
tioned that,  although  they  would  most  cheerfully  follow  us 
wherever  we  should  direct,  yet  they  were  afraid  that  the 
south  fork  would  soon  terminate  in  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
and  leave  us  at  a great  distance  from  the  Columbia.  In 
order  that  nothing  might  be  omitted  which  could  prevent 
our  falling  into  ail  error,  it  was  agreed  that  one  of  us 
should  ascend  the  southern  branch  by  land,  until  we 
reached  either  the  falls  or  the  mountains.  In  the  mean- 
time, in  order  to  lighten  our  burdens  as  much  as  possible, 
we  determined  to  deposit  here  one  of  the  pirogues,  and 
all  the  heavy  baggage  which  we  could  possibly  spare,  as 
well  as  some  provision,  salt,  powder,  and  tools.  This 
would  at  once  lighten  the  other  boats,  and  give  them  the 
crew  which  had  been  employed  on  board  the  pirogue.” 

On  the  tenth  of  June,  the  weather  being  fair  and  pleas- 
ant, they  dried  all  their  baggage  and  merchandise  and 
secreted  them  in  places  of  deposits,  called  caches , as 
follows : — 

“ These  deposits  — or  caches , as  they  are  called  by  the 
Missouri  traders  — are  very  common,  particularly  among 
those  who  deal  with  the  Sioux,  as  the  skins  and  merchan- 
dise will  keep  perfectly  sound  for  years,  and  are  protected 
from  robbery.  Our  cache  was  built  in  the  usual  manner. 
In  the  high  plain  on  the  north  side  of  the  Missouri,  and 


Drawing  of  a Cache 


To  the  Great  Falls  of  the  Missouri 


99 


forty  yards  from  a steep  bluff,  we  chose  a dry  situation, 
and  then,  describing  a small  circle  of  about  twenty  inches 
diameter,  removed  the  sod  as  gently  and  carefully  as  pos- 
sible : the  hole  was  then  sunk  perpendicularly  for  a foot 
deep.  It  was  now  worked  gradually  wider  as  it  descended, 
till  at  length  it  became  six  or  seven  feet  deep,  shaped 
nearly  like  a kettle,  or  the  lower  part  of  a large  still  with 
the  bottom  somewhat  sunk  at  the  centre.  As  the  earth 
was  dug  it  was  handed  up  in  a vessel,  and  carefully  laid  on 
a skin  or  cloth,  in  which  it  was  carried  away  and  thrown 
into  the  river,  so  as  to  leave  no  trace  of  it.  A floor  of 
three  or  four  inches  in  thickness  was  then  made  of  dry 
sticks,  on  which  was  placed  a hide  perfectly  dry.  The 
goods,  being  well  aired  and  dried,  were  laid  on  this  floor, 
and  prevented  from  touching  the  wall  by  other  dried  sticks, 
as  the  merchandise  was  stowed  away.  When  the  hole  was 
nearly  full,  a skin  was  laid  over  the  goods,  and  on  this 
earth  was  thrown  and  beaten  down,  until,  with  the  addition 
of  the  sod  first  removed,  the  whole  was  on  a level  with  the 
ground,  and  there  remained  not  the  slightest  appearance 
of  an  excavation.  In  addition  to  this,  we  made  another  of 
smaller  dimensions,  in  which  we  placed  all  the  baggage, 
some  powder,  and  our  blacksmith’s  tools,  having  previously 
repaired  such  of  the  tools  as  we  carry  with  us  that  require 
mending.  To  guard  against  accident,  we  had  two  parcels 
of  lead  and  powder  in  the  two  places.  The  red  pirogue 
was  drawn  up  on  the  middle  of  a small  island,  at  the 
entrance  of  Maria’s  River,  and  secured,  by  being  fastened 
to  the  trees,  from  the  effects  of  any  floods.  We  now  took 
another  observation  of  the  meridian  altitude  of  the  sun,  and 
found  that  the  mean  latitude  of  Maria’s  River,  as  deduced 
from  three  observations,  is  490  25'  17.2"  N.” 

In  order  to  make  assurance  doubly  sure,  Captain  Lewis 


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First  Across  the  Continent 


resolved  to  take  four  men  with  him  and  ascend  the  south 
branch  (that  is,  the  true  Missouri),  before  committing  the 
expedition  to  that  route  as  the  final  one.  His  proposition 
was  that  his  party  should  proceed  up  the  river  as  rapidly 
as  possible  in  advance  of  the  main  party.  On  the  second 
day  out,  says  the  journal : — 

“ Captain  Lewis  left  the  bank  of  the  river  in  order  to 
avoid  the  steep  ravines,  which  generally  run  from  the  shore 
to  the  distance  of  one  or  two  miles  in  the  plain.  Having 
reached  the  open  country  he  went  for  twelve  miles  in  a 
course  a little  to  the  W.  of  S.W. ; when,  the  sun  becoming 
warm  by  nine  o’clock,  he  returned  to  the  river  in  quest  of 
water,  and  to  kill  something  for  breakfast ; there  being  no 
water  in  the  plain,  and  the  buffalo,  discovering  them  before 
they  came  within  gunshot,  took  to  flight.  They  reached 
the  banks  in  a handsome  open  low  ground  with  cotton- 
wood, after  three  miles’  walk.  Here  they  saw  two  large 
brown  bears,  and  killed  them  both  at  the  first  fire  — a cir- 
cumstance which  has  never  before  occurred  since  we  have 
seen  that  animal.  Having  made  a meal  of  a part,  and 
hung  the  remainder  on  a tree,  with  a note  for  Captain 
Clark,  they  again  ascended  the  bluffs  into  the  open  plains. 
Here  they  saw  great  numbers  of  the  burrowing-squirrel, 
also  some  wolves,  antelopes,  mule-deer,  and  vast  herds  of 
buffalo.  They  soon  crossed  a ridge  considerably  higher 
than  the  surrounding  plains,  and  from  its  top  had  a beauti- 
ful view  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  which  are  now  com- 
pletely covered  with  snow.  Their  general  course  is  from 
S.E.  to  N.  of  N.W.,  and  they  seem  to  consist  of  several 
ranges  which  successively  rise  above  each  other,  till  the 
most  distant  mingles  with  the  clouds.  After  travelling 
twelve  miles  they  again  met  the  river,  where  there  was  a 
handsome  plain  of  cottonwood.” 


To  the  Great  Falls  of  the  Missouri  ioi 


Again  leaving  the  river,  Captain  Lewis  bore  off  more  to 
the  north,  the  stream  here  bearing  considerably  to  the 
south,  with  difficult  bluffs  along  its  course.  But  fearful  of 
passing  the  Great  Falls  before  reaching  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains, he  again  changed  his  course  and,  leaving  the  bluffs 
to  his  right  he  turned  towards  the  river. 

The  journal  gives  this  description  of  what  followed : — 

“ In  this  direction  Captain  Lewis  had  gone  about  two 
miles,  when  his  ears  were  saluted  with  the  agreeable  sound 
of  a fall  of  water,  and  as  he  advanced  a spray,  which 
seemed  driven  by  the  high  southwest  wind,  arose  above 
the  plain  like  a column  of  smoke,  and  vanished  in  an  in- 
stant. Toward  this  point  he  directed  his  steps ; the  noise 
increased  as  he  approached,  and  soon  became  too  tremen- 
dous to  be  mistaken  for  anything  but  the  Great  Falls  of 
the  Missouri.  Having  travelled  seven  miles  after  first 
hearing  the  sound,  he  reached  the  falls  about  twelve 
o’clock.  The  hills  as  he  approached  were  difficult  of 
access  and  two  hundred  feet  high.  Down  these  he  hur- 
ried with  impatience ; and,  seating  himself  on  some  rocks 
under  the  centre  of  the  falls,  enjoyed  the  sublime  specta- 
cle of  this  stupendous  object,  which  since  the  creation 
had  been  lavishing  its  magnificence  upon  the  desert, 
unknown  to  civilization. 

“ The  river  immediately  at  this  cascade  is  three  hundred 
yards  wide,  and  is  pressed  in  by  a perpendicular  cliff  on  the 
left,  which  rises  to  about  one  hundred  feet  and  extends  up 
the  stream  for  a mile ; on  the  right  the  bluff  is  also  per- 
pendicular for  three  hundred  yards  above  the  falls.  For 
ninety  or  one  hundred  yards  from  the  left  cliff,  the  water 
falls  in  one  smooth,  even  sheet,  over  a precipice  of  at 
least  eighty  feet.  The  remaining  part  of  the  river  pre- 
cipitates itself  with  a more  rapid  current,  but  being 


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First  Across  the  Continent 


received  as  it  falls  by  the  irregular  and  somewhat  project- 
ing rocks  below,  forms  a splendid  prospect  of  perfectly 
white  foam,  two  hundred  yards  in  length  and  eighty  in 
perpendicular  elevation.  This  spray  is  dissipated  into  a 
thousand  shapes,  sometimes  flying  up  in  columns  of  fifteen 
or  twenty  feet,  which  are  then  oppressed  by  larger  masses 
of  the  white  foam,  on  all  of  which  the  sun  impresses  the 
brightest  colors  of  the  rainbow.  Below  the  fall  the  water 
beats  with  fury  against  a ledge  of  rocks,  which  extends 
across  the  river  at  one  hundred  and  fifty  yards  from  the 
precipice.  From  the  perpendicular  cliff  on  the  north  to 
the  distance  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  yards,  the  rocks  are 
only  a few  feet  above  the  water;  and,  when  the  river  is 
high,  the  stream  finds  a channel  across  them  forty  yards 
wide,  and  near  the  higher  parts  of  the  ledge,  which  rise 
about  twenty  feet,  and  terminate  abruptly  within  eighty  or 
ninety  yards  of  the  southern  side.  Between  them  and  the 
perpendicular  cliff  on  the  south,  the  whole  body  of  water 
runs  with  great  swiftness.  A few  small  cedars  grow  near 
this  ridge  of  rocks,  which  serves  as  a barrier  to  defend  a 
small  plain  of  about  three  acres,  shaded  with  cottonwood; 
at  the  lower  extremity  of  which  is  a grove  of  the  same 
trees,  where  are  several  deserted  Indian  cabins  of  sticks; 
below  which  the  river  is  divided  by  a large  rock,  several 
feet  above  the  surface  of  the  water,  and  extending  down 
the  stream  for  twenty  yards.  At  the  distance  of  three 
hundred  yards  from  the  same  ridge  is  a second  abutment 
of  solid  perpendicular  rock,  about  sixty  feet  high,  project- 
ing at  right  angles  from  the  small  plain  on  the  north  for 
one  hundred  and  thirty-four  yards  into  the  river.  After 
leaving  this,  the  Missouri  again  spreads  itself  to  its  pre- 
vious breadth  of  three  hundred  yards,  though  with  more 
than  its  ordinary  rapidity.” 


To  the  Great  Falls  of  the  Missouri  103 


One  of  Lewis’s  men  was  sent  back  to  inform  Captain 
Clark  of  this  momentous  discovery,  which  finally  settled 
all  doubt  as  to  which  was  the  true  Missouri.  The  famous 
Great  Falls  of  the  river  had  been  finally  reached.  Captain 
Lewis  next  went  on  to  examine  the  rapids  above  the  falls. 
The  journal  says : — 

“ After  passing  one  continued  rapid  and  three  cascades, 
each  three  or  four  feet  high,  he  reached,  at  the  distance 
of  five  miles,  a second  fall.  The  river  is  here  about  four 
hundred  yards  wide,  and  for  the  distance  of  three  hundred 
rushes  down  to  the  depth  of  nineteen  feet,  and  so  irregu- 
larly that  he  gave  it  the  name  of  the  Crooked  Falls.  From 
the  southern  shore  it  extends  obliquely  upward  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  yards,  and  then  forms  an  acute  angle 
downward  nearly  to  the  commencement  of  four  small 
islands  close  to  the  northern  side.  From  the  perpendicu- 
lar pitch  to  these  islands,  a distance  of  more  than  one 
hundred  yards,  the  water  glides  down  a sloping  rock  with 
a velocity  almost  equal  to  that  of  its  fall : above  this  fall 
the  river  bends  suddenly  to  the  northward.  While  viewing 
this  place,  Captain  Lewis  heard  a loud  roar  above  him, 
and,  crossing  the  point  of  a hill  a few  hundred  yards,  he 
saw  one  of  the  most  beautiful  objects  in  nature : the  whole 
Missouri  is  suddenly  stopped  by  one  shelving  rock,  which, 
without  a single  niche,  and  with  an  edge  as  straight  and 
regular  as  if  formed  by  art,  stretches  itself  from  one  side 
of  the  river  to  the  other  for  at  least  a quarter  of  a mile. 
Over  this  it  precipitates  itself  in  an  even,  uninterrupted 
sheet,  to  the  perpendicular  depth  of  fifty  feet,  whence, 
dashing  against  the  rocky  bottom,  it  rushes  rapidly  down, 
leaving  behind  it  a sheet  of  the  purest  foam  across  the 
river.  The  scene  which  it  presented  was  indeed  singularly 
beautiful;  since,  without  any  of  the  wild,  irregular  sub- 


First  Across  the  Continent 


104 


limity  of  the  lower  falls,  it  combined  all  the  regular  ele- 
gancies which  the  fancy  of  a painter  would  select  to 
form  a beautiful  waterfall.  The  eye  had  scarcely  been 
regaled  with  this  charming  prospect,  when  at  the  distance 
of  half  a mile  Captain  Lewis  observed  another  of  a 
similar  kind.  To  this  he  immediately  hastened,  and  found 
a cascade  stretching  across  the  whole  river  for  a quarter 
of  a mile,  with  a descent  of  fourteen  feet,  though  the  per- 
pendicular pitch  was  only  six  feet.  This,  too,  in  any  other 
neighborhood,  would  have  been  an  object  of  great  magni- 
ficence; but  after  what  he  had  just  seen,  it  became  of 
secondary  interest.  His  curiosity  being,  however,  awak- 
ened, he  determined  to  go  on,  even  should  night  overtake 
him,  to  the  head  of  the  falls. 

“ He  therefore  pursued  the  southwest  course  of  the  river, 
which  was  one  constant  succession  of  rapids  and  small  cas- 
cades, at  every  one  of  which  the  bluffs  grew  lower,  or  the 
bed  of  the  river  became  more  on  a level  with  the  plains. 
At  the  distance  of  two  and  one-half  miles  he  arrived  at  an- 
other cataract,  of  twenty-six  feet.  The  river  is  here  six  hun- 
dred yards  wide,  but  the  descent  is  not  immediately  perpen- 
dicular, though  the  river  falls  generally  with  a regular  and 
smooth  sheet;  for  about  one-third  of  the  descent  a rock 
protrudes  to  a small  distance,  receives  the  water  in  its 
passage,  and  gives  it  a curve.  On  the  south  side  is  a 
beautiful  plain,  a few  feet  above  the  level  of  the  falls ; on 
the  north,  the  country  is  more  broken,  and  there  is  a hill 
not  far  from  the  river.  Just  below  the  falls  is  a little  island 
in  the  middle  of  the  river,  well  covered  with  timber.  Here 
on  a cottonwood  tree  an  eagle  had  fixed  her  nest,  and 
seemed  the  undisputed  mistress  of  a spot,  to  contest  whose 
dominion  neither  man  nor  beast  would  venture  across  the 
gulfs  that  surround  it,  and  which  is  further  secured  by  the 


To  the  Great  Falls  of  the  Missouri  105 


mist  rising  from  the  falls.  This  solitary  bird  could  not 
escape  the  observation  of  the  Indians,  who  made  the 
eagle’s  nest  a part  of  their  description  of  the  falls,  which 
now  proves  to  be  correct  in  almost  every  particular,  except 
that  they  did  not  do  justice  to  the  height. 

“ Just  above  this  is  a cascade  of  about  five  feet,  beyond 
which,  as  far  as  could  be  discerned,  the  velocity  of  the 
water  seemed  to  abate.  Captain  Lewis  now  ascended  the 
hill  which  was  behind  him,  and  saw  from  its  top  a delight- 
ful plain,  extending  from  the  river  to  the  base  of  the  Snowy 
[Rocky]  Mountains  to  the  south  and  southwest.  Along 
this  wide,  level  country  the  Missouri  pursued  its  winding 
course,  filled  with  water  to  its  smooth,  grassy  banks,  while 
about  four  miles  above,  it  was  joined  by  a large  river 
flowing  from  the  northwest,  through  a valley  three  miles 
in  width,  and  distinguished  by  the  timber  which  adorned 
its  shores.  The  Missouri  itself  stretches  to  the  south,  in 
one  unruffled  stream  of  water,  as  if  unconscious  of  the 
roughness  it  must  soon  encounter,  and  bearing  on  its 
bosom  vast  flocks  of  geese,  while  numerous  herds  of 
buffalo  are  feeding  on  the  plains  which  surround  it. 

“ Captain  Lewis  then  descended  the  hill,  and  directed 
his  course  towards  the  river  falling  in  from  the  west.  He 
soon  met  a herd  of  at  least  a thousand  buffalo,  and,  being 
desirous  of  providing  for  supper,  shot  one  of  them.  The 
animal  immediately  began  to  bleed,  and  Captain  Lewis, 
who  had  forgotten  to  reload  his  rifle,  was  intently  watching 
to  see  him  fall,  when  he  beheld  a large  brown  bear  which 
was  stealing  on  him  unperceived,  and  was  already  within 
twenty  steps.  In  the  first  moment  of  surprise  he  lifted  his 
rifle ; but,  remembering  instantly  that  it  was  not  charged, 
and  that  he  had  no  time  to  reload,  he  felt  that  there  was  no 
safety  but  in  flight.  It  was  in  the  open,  level  plain ; not  a 


io6 


First  Across  the  Continent 


bush  nor  a tree  within  three  hundred  yards;  the  bank  of 
the  river  sloping,  and  not  more  than  three  feet  high,  so 
that  there  was  no  possible  mode  of  concealment.  Captain 
Lewis,  therefore,  thought  of  retreating  with  a quick  walk, 
as  fast  as  the  bear  advanced,  towards  the  nearest  tree ; but, 
as  soon  as  he  turned,  the  bear  rushed  open-mouthed,  and 
at  full  speed,  upon  him.  Captain  Lewis  ran  about  eighty 
yards,  but  finding  that  the  animal  gained  on  him  fast,  it 
flashed  on  his  mind  that,  by  getting  into  the  water  to  such 
a depth  that  the  bear  would  be  obliged  to  attack  him 
swimming,  there  was  still  some  chance  of  his  life ; he 
therefore  turned  short,  plunged  into  the  river  about  waist- 
deep,  and  facing  about  presented  the  point  of  his  espon- 
toon.  The  bear  arrived  at  the  water’s  edge  within  twenty 
feet  of  him ; but  as  soon  as  he  put  himself  in  this  posture 
of  defence,  the  bear  seemed  frightened,  and  wheeling  about, 
retreated  with  as  much  precipitation  as  he  had  pursued. 
Very  glad  to  be  released  from  this  danger,  Captain  Lewis 
returned  to  the  shore,  and  observed  him  run  with  great 
speed,  sometimes  looking  back  as  if  he  expected  to  be 
pursued,  till  he  reached  the  woods.  He  could  not  con- 
ceive the  cause  of  the  sudden  alarm  of  the  bear,  but 
congratulated  himself  on  his  escape  when  he  saw  his  own 
track  torn  to  pieces  by  the  furious  animal,  and  learned 
from  the  whole  adventure  never  to  suffer  his  rifle  to  be 
a moment  unloaded.” 

Captain  Lewis  now  resumed  his  progress  towards  the 
western,  or  Sun,  River,  then  more  commonly  known 
among  the  Indians  as  Medicine  River.  In  going  through 
the  lowlands  of  this  stream,  he  met  an  animal  which  he 
thought  was  a wolf,  but  which  was  more  likely  a wolver- 
ine, or  carcajou.  The  journal  says:  — 

“ It  proved  to  be  some  brownish  yellow  animal,  standing 


To  the  Great  Falls  of  the  Missouri  107 


near  its  burrow,  which,  when  he  came  nigh,  crouched,  and 
seemed  as  if  about  to  spring  on  him.  Captain  Lewis  fired, 
and  the  beast  disappeared  in  its  burrow.  From  the  track, 
and  the  general  appearance  of  the  animal,  he  supposed  it 
to  be  of  the  tiger  kind.  He  then  went  on ; but,  as  if  the 
beasts  of  the  forest  had  conspired  against  him,  three  buf- 
falo bulls,  which  were  feeding  with  a large  herd  at  the  dis- 
tance of  half  a mile,  left  their  companions,  and  ran  at  full 
speed  towards  him.  He  turned  round,  and,  unwilling  to 
give  up  the  field,  advanced  to  meet  them : when  they  were 
within  a hundred  yards  they  stopped,  looked  at  him  for 
some  time,  and  then  retreated  as  they  came.  He  now  pur- 
sued his  route  in  the  dark,  reflecting  on  the  strange  adven- 
tures and  sights  of  the  day,  which  crowded  on  his  mind  so 
rapidly,  that  he  should  have  been  inclined  to  believe  it  all 
enchantment  if  the  thorns  of  the  prickly  pear,  piercing  his 
feet,  had  not  dispelled  at  every  moment  the  illusion.  He 
at  last  reached  the  party,  who  had  been  very  anxious  for 
his  safety,  and  who  had  already  decided  on  the  route 
which  each  should  take  in  the  morning  to  look  for  him. 
Being  much  fatigued,  he  supped,  and  slept  well  during  the 
night.” 

On  awaking  the  next  morning,  Captain  Lewis  found  a 
large  rattlesnake  coiled  on  the  trunk  of  a tree  under  which 
he  had  been  sleeping.  He  killed  it,  and  found  it  like 
those  he  had  seen  before,  differing  from  those  of  the 
Atlantic  States,  not  in  its  colors,  but  in  the  form  and 
arrangement  of  them.  Information  was  received  that  Cap- 
tain Clark  had  arrived  five  miles  below,  at  a rapid  which 
he  did  not  think  it  prudent  to  ascend,  and  that  he  was 
waiting  there  for  the  party  above  to  rejoin  him. 

After  the  departure  of  Captain  Lewis,  Captain  Clark  had 
remained  a day  at  Maria’s  River,  to  complete  the  deposit 


io8 


First  Across  the  Continent 


of  such  articles  as  they  could  dispense  with,  and  started  on 
the  twelfth  of  June. 

Four  days  later,  Captain  Clark  left  the  river,  having  sent 
his  messenger  to  Captain  Lewis,  and  began  to  search  for 
a proper  portage  to  convey  the  pirogue  and  canoes  across 
to  the  Columbia  River,  leaving  most  of  the  men  to  hunt, 
make  wheels  and  draw  the  canoes  up  a creek  which  they 
named  Portage  Creek,  as  it  was  to  be  the  base  of  their 
future  operations.  The  stream  is  now  known  as  Belt 
Mountain  Creek.  But  the  explorers  soon  found  that 
although  the  pirogue  was  to  be  left  behind,  the  way  was 
too  difficult  for  a portage  even  for  canoes.  The  journal 
says : — 

“We  found  great  difficulty  and  some  danger  in  even 
ascending  the  creek  thus  far,  in  consequence  of  the  rapids 
and  rocks  of  the  channel  of  the  creek,  which  just  above 
where  we  brought  the  canoes  has  a fall  of  five  feet,  with 
high  steep  bluffs  beyond  it.  We  were  very  fortunate  in 
finding,  just  below  Portage  Creek,  a cottonwood  tree  about 
twenty-two  inches  in  diameter,  large  enough  to  make  the 
carriage-wheels.  It  was,  perhaps,  the  only  one  of  the 
same  size  within  twenty  miles ; and  the  cottonwood  which 
we  are  obliged  to  employ  in  the  other  parts  of  the  work 
is  extremely  soft  and  brittle.  The  mast  of  the  white 
pirogue,  which  we  mean  to  leave  behind,  supplied  us 
with  two  axle-trees. 

“There  are  vast  quantities  of  buffalo  feeding  on  the 
plains  or  watering  in  the  river,  which  is  also  strewed  with 
the  floating  carcasses  and  limbs  of  these  animals.  They 
go  in  large  herds  to  water  about  the  falls,  and  as  all  the 
passages  to  the  river  near  that  place  are  narrow  and  steep, 
the  foremost  are  pressed  into  the  river  by  the  impatience 
of  those  behind.  In  this  way  we  have  seen  ten  or  a dozen 


To  the  Great  Falls  of  the  Missouri  109 


disappear  over  the  falls  in  a few  minutes.  They  afford 
excellent  food  for  the  wolves,  bears,  and  birds  of  prey; 
which  circumstance  may  account  for  the  reluctance  of  the 
bears  to  yield  their  dominion  over  the  neighborhood. 

“ The  pirogue  was  drawn  up  a little  below  our  camp,  and 
secured  in  a thick  copse  of  willow-bushes.  We  now  began 
to  form  a cache  or  place  of  deposit,  and  to  dry  our  goods 
and  other  articles  which  required  inspection.  The  wagons 
are  completed.  Our  hunters  brought  us  ten  deer,  and  we 
shot  two  out  of  a herd  of  buffalo  that  came  to  water  at 
Sulphur  Spring.  There  is  a species  of  gooseberry,  grow- 
ing abundantly  among  the  rocks  on  the  sides  of  the  cliffs. 
It  is  now  ripe,  of  a pale  red  color,  about  the  size  of  the 
common  gooseberry,  and  like  it  is  an  ovate  pericarp  of 
soft  pulp  enveloping  a number  of  small  whitish  seeds,  and 
consisting  of  a yellowish,  slimy,  mucilaginous  substance, 
with  a sweet  taste;  the  surface  of  the  berry  is  covered 
glutinous,  adhesive  matter,  and  its  fruit,  though  ripe, 
retains  its  withered  corolla.  The  shrub  itself  seldom  rises 
more  than  two  feet  high,  is  much  branched,  and  has  no 
thorns.  The  leaves  resemble  those  of  the  common  goose- 
berry, except  in  being  smaller,  and  the  berry  is  supported 
by  separate  peduncles  or  foot-stalks  half  an  inch  long. 
There  are  also  immense  quantities  of  grasshoppers,  of  a 
brown  color,  on  the  plains ; they,  no  doubt,  contribute  to 
the  lowness  of  the  grass,  which  is  not  generally  more  than 
three  inches  high,  though  it  is  soft,  narrow-leaved,  and 
affords  a fine  pasture  for  the  buffalo.” 


Chapter  XI 

In  the  Heart  of  the  Continent 

CAPTAIN  CLARK  continued  his  observations  up  the 
long  series  of  rapids  and  falls  until  he  came  to  a 
group  of  three  small  islands  to  which  he  gave  the  name  of 
White  Bear  Islands,  from  his  having  seen  numerous  white, 
or  grizzly,  bears  on  them.  On  the  nineteenth  of  June, 
Captain  Clark,  after  a careful  survey  of  the  country  on 
both  sides  of  the  stream,  decided  that  the  best  place  for 
a portage  was  on  the  south,  or  lower,  side  of  the  river,  the 
length  of  the  portage  being  estimated  to  be  about  eighteen 
miles,  over  which  the  canoes  and  supplies  must  be  carried. 
Next  day  he  proceeded  to  mark  out  the  exact  route  of  the 
portage,  or  carry,  by  driving  stakes  along  its  lines  and 
angles.  From  the  survey  and  drawing  which  he  made, 
the  party  now  had  a clear  and  accurate  view  of  the  falls, 
cascades,  and  rapids  of  the  Missouri ; and,  it  may  be 
added,  this  draught,  which  is  reproduced  on  another  page 
of  this  book,  is  still  so  correct  in  all  its  measurements  that 
when  a Montana  manufacturing  company  undertook  to 
build  a dam  at  Black  Eagle  Falls,  nearly  one  hundred  years 
afterwards,  they  discovered  that  their  surveys  and  those  of 
Captain  Clark  were  precisely  alike.  The  total  fall  of  the 
river,  from  the  White  Bear  Islands,  as  Lewis  and  Clark 
called  them,  to  the  foot  of  the  Great  Falls,  is  four  hundred 
twelve  and  five-tenths  feet;  the  sheer  drop  of  the  Great 
Fall  is  seventy-five  and  five-tenths  feet.  The  wild,  track- 


Deposit e 


Saudi  R<qnd 


1400  it  Is  wide 


Hood  til  the  Fads 


tp'd^r-Rtlf  <uls  of  do 
jff'  xO  Tret  d in  Pi-toil 

y 

jLRtJfiids  of 9 ft.  d ut  do. 
XjSRajritl  of 4 ft.  descent 

f ?7Jt’St‘(-nt  of  3 ft . , 

ljB>t\Yceit±  of  t ft. 
Iffasetide  of 24  it. 7 in  deset. 
^ — 47  feet  8 i/t  Pitch . ^ 

It/  feet  Pitch 

Rapid  uf.:>  It- descent  ^ 


Upper  Pitch 


Lonfc  Fountain 


Bctiiiiiful  Cascade 


Rtijiids  tVtd  ( as Ct  ides  of 
about  JG  it.  descent 


%)  Rapid  of 3 1i .descent- 

I fa  sea  tie  of 3 ti.fi  in  descent 
I Rapitl  of 3 ft. descent 
Jit  /pit  Is  of  G d.  / iesrent 
X Rapid  of 3 fr.dcscrut 
Fall  of  J?  ft. descent 
| \f  a sett de_t  > 1 13  ft.  < h ecel 1 1 
in  pitch 

Jtapith c_  ofti  it.  tits  cent 
HfhTTsofd  It  ties  cent 


Lvat  Falls, 


^ rDeepRavau 


it  Is  of  13  ft.  descent 
of  18  ft. descent 
Is  of  f>  /tiles,  t . 
Olds  of  It*  tl.dcscP\ 


Sulphur  Sprintf 


J) epos  He 

% 

TIIE 


White  Bear  Portage 


In  the  Heart  of  the  Continent 


1 1 1 


less  prairie  of  Lewis  and  Clark’s  time  is  now  the  site  of 
the  thriving  town  of  Great  Falls,  which  has  a population 
of  ten  thousand. 

Here  is  a lucid  and  connected  account  of  the  falls  and 
rapids,  discovered  and  described  by  Lewis  and  Clark : 

“ This  river  is  three  hundred  yards  wide  at  the  point 
where  it  receives  the  waters  of  Medicine  [Sun]  River, 
which  is  one  hundred  and  thirty-seven  yards  in  width. 
The  united  current  continues  three  hundred  and  twenty- 
eight  poles  to  a small  rapid  on  the  north  side,  from  which 
it  gradually  widens  to  fourteen  hundred  yards,  and  at  the 
distance  of  five  hundred  and  forty-eight  poles  reaches  the 
head  of  the  rapids,  narrowing  as  it  approaches  them. 
Here  the  hills  on  the  north,  which  had  withdrawn  from 
the  bank,  closely  border  the  river,  which,  for  the  space 
of  three  hundred  and  twenty  poles,  makes  its  way  over 
the  rocks,  with  a descent  of  thirty  feet.  In  this  course  the 
current  is  contracted  to  five  hundred  and  eighty  yards, 
and  after  throwing  itself  over  a small  pitch  of  five  feet, 
forms  a beautiful  cascade  of  twenty-six  feet  five  inches ; 
this  does  not,  however,  fall  immediately  or  perpendicularly, 
being  stopped  by  a part  of  the  rock,  which  projects  at 
about  one-third  of  the  distance.  After  descending  this 
fall,  and  passing  the  cottonwood  island  on  which  the  eagle 
has  fixed  her  nest,  the  river  goes  on  for  five  hundred  and 
thirty-two  poles  over  rapids  and  little  falls,  the  estimated 
descent  of  which  is  thirteen  and  one-half  feet,  till  it  is 
joined  by  a large  fountain  boiling  up  underneath  the  rocks 
near  the  edge  of  the  river,  into  which  it  falls  with  a 
cascade  of  eight  feet.  The  water  of  this  fountain  is  of  the 
most  perfect  clearness,  and  of  rather  a bluish  cast;  and, 
even  after  falling  into  the  Missouri,  it  preserves  its  color 
for  half  a mile.  From  the  fountain  the  river  descends  with 


I I 2 


First  Across  the  Continent 


increased  rapidity  for  the  distance  of  two  hundred  and 
fourteen  poles,  during  which  the  estimated  descent  is  five 
feet;  and  from  this,  for  a distance  of  one  hundred  and 
thirty-five  poles,  it  descends  fourteen  feet  seven  inches, 
including  a perpendicular  fall  of  six  feet  seven  inches. 
The  Missouri  has  now  become  pressed  into  a space  of 
four  hundred  and  seventy-three  yards,  and  here  forms  a 
grand  cataract,  by  falling  over  a plain  rock  the  whole 
distance  across  the  river,  to  the  depth  of  forty-seven  feet 
eight  inches.  After  recovering  itself,  it  then  proceeds  with 
an  estimated  descent  of  three  feet,  till,  at  the  distance  of 
one  hundred  and  two  poles,  it  is  precipitated  down  the 
Crooked  Falls  nineteen  feet  perpendicular.  Below  this,  at 
the  mouth  of  a deep  ravine,  is  a fall  of  five  feet;  after 
which,  for  the  distance  of  nine  hundred  and  seventy  poles, 
the  descent  is  much  more  gradual,  not  being  more  than 
ten  feet,  and  then  succeeds  a handsome  level  plain  for  the 
space  of  one  hundred  and  seventy-eight  poles,  with  a 
computed  descent  of  three  feet,  the  river  making  a bend 
towards  the  north.  Thence  it  descends,  for  four  hundred 
and  eighty  poles,  about  eighteen  and  one-half  feet,  when 
it  makes  a perpendicular  fall  of  two  feet,  which  is  ninety 
poles  beyond  the  great  cataract ; in  approaching  which,  it 
descends  thirteen  feet  within  two  hundred  yards,  and, 
gathering  strength  from  its  confined  channel,  which  is  only 
two  hundred  and  eighty  yards  wide,  rushes  over  the  fall  to 
the  depth  of  eighty-seven  feet. 

“ After  raging  among  the  rocks,  and  losing  itself  in  foam, 
it  is  compressed  immediately  into  a bed  of  ninety-three 
yards  in  width : it  continues  for  three  hundred  and  forty 
poles  to  the  entrance  of  a run  or  deep  ravine,  where  there 
is  a fall  of  three  feet,  which,  added  to  the  decline  during 
that  distance,  makes  the  descent  six  feet.  As  it  goes  on, 


In  the  Heart  of  the  Continent 


1 1 3 


the  descent  within  the  next  two  hundred  and  forty  poles 
is  only  four  feet ; from  this,  passing  a run  or  deep  ravine, 
the  descent  in  four  hundred  poles  is  thirteen  feet;  within 
two  hundred  and  forty  poles,  another  descent  of  eighteen 
feet;  thence,  in  one  hundred  and  sixty  poles,  a descent  of 
six  feet;  after  which,  to  the  mouth  of  Portage  Creek,  a 
distance  of  two  hundred  and  eighty  poles,  the  descent  is 
ten  feet.  From  this  survey  and  estimate,  it  results  that  the 
river  experiences  a descent  of  three  hundred  and  fifty-two 
feet  in  the  distance  of  two  and  three  quarter  miles,  from 
the  commencement  of  the  rapids  to  the  mouth  of  Portage 
Creek,  exclusive  of  the  almost  impassable  rapids  which 
extend  for  a mile  below  its  entrance.” 

On  the  twenty-first  of  the  month,  all  the  needed  prepa- 
rations having  been  finished,  the  arduous  work  of  making 
the  portage,  or  carry,  was  begun.  All  the  members  of 
the  expedition  were  now  together,  and  the  two  captains 
divided  with  their  men  the  labor  of  hunting,  carrying 
luggage,  boat-building,  exploring,  and  so  on.  They  made 
three  camps,  the  lower  one  on  Portage  Creek,  the  next  at 
Willow  Run  [see  map],  and  a third  at  a point  opposite 
White  Bear  Islands.  The  portage  was  not  completed 
until  July  second.  They  were  often  delayed  by  the  break- 
ing down  of  their  rude  carriages,  and  during  the  last 
stage  of  their  journey  much  of  their  luggage  was  carried 
on  the  backs  of  the  men.  They  were  also  very  much 
annoyed  with  the  spines  of  the  prickly  pear,  a species  of 
cactus,  which,  growing  low  on  the  ground,  is  certain  to  be 
trampled  upon  by  the  wayfarer.  The  spines  ran  through 
the  moccasins  of  the  men  and  sorely  wounded  their  feet. 
Thus,  under  date  of  June  twenty-fourth,  the  journal  says 
(It  should  be  understood  that  the  portage  was  worked 
from  above  and  below  the  rapids) : — 

8 


First  Across  the  Continent 


114 


“ On  going  down  yesterday  Captain  Clark  cut  off  several 
angles  of  the  former  route,  so  as  to  shorten  the  portage 
considerably,  and  marked  it  with  stakes.  He  arrived  there 
in  time  to  have  two  of  the  canoes  carried  up  in  the  high 
plain,  about  a mile  in  advance.  Here  they  all  repaired 
their  moccasins,  and  put  on  double  soles  to  protect  them 
from  the  prickly  pear,  and  from  the  sharp  points  of  earth 
which  have  been  formed  by  the  trampling  of  the  buffalo 
during  the  late  rains.  This  of  itself  is  sufficient  to  render 
the  portage  disagreeable  to  one  who  has  no  burden ; but 
as  the  men  are  loaded  as  heavily  as  their  strength  will 
permit,  the  crossing  is  really  painful.  Some  are  limping 
with  the  soreness  of  their  feet;  others  are  scarcely  able 
to  stand  for  more  than  a few  minutes,  from  the  heat  and 
fatigue.  They  are  all  obliged  to  halt  and  rest  frequently ; 
at  almost  every  stopping-place  they  fall,  and  many  of 
them  are  asleep  in  an  instant;  yet  no  one  complains, 
and  they  go  on  with  great  cheerfulness.  At  the  camp, 
midway  in  the  portage,  Drewyer  and  Fields  joined  them ; 
for,  while  Captain  Lewis  was  looking  for  them  at  Medicine 
River,  they  returned  to  report  the  absence  of  Shannon, 
about  whom  they  had  been  very  uneasy.  They  had  killed 
several  buffalo  at  the  bend  of  the  Missouri  above  the  falls, 
dried  about  eight  hundred  pounds  of  meat,  and  got  one  hun- 
dred pounds  of  tallow;  they  had  also  killed  some  deer, 
but  had  seen  no  elk.” 

Under  this  date,  too,  Captain  Lewis,  who  was  with 
another  branch  of  the  expedition,  makes  this  note : 
“ Such  as  were  able  to  shake  a foot  amused  themselves  in 
dancing  on  the  green  to  the  music  of  the  violin  which 
Cruzatte  plays  extremely  well.” 

The  journal  continues : — 

“ We  were  now  occupied  [at  White  Bear  camp]  in  fit- 


In  the  Heart  of  the  Continent 


"5 


ting  up  a boat  of  skins,  the  frame  of  which  had  been  pre- 
pared for  the  purpose  at  Harper’s  Ferry  in  Virginia.  It 
was  made  of  iron,  thirty-six  feet  long,  four  and  one-half 
feet  in  the  beam,  and  twenty-six  inches  wide  in  the  bottom. 
Two  men  had  been  sent  this  morning  for  timber  to  com- 
plete it,  but  they  could  find  scarcely  any  even  tolerably 
straight  sticks  four  and  one-half  feet  long;  and  as  the 
cottonwood  is  too  soft  and  brittle,  we  were  obliged  to  use 
willow  and  box-elder.” 

On  the  twenty-seventh,  the  main  party,  which  was  work- 
ing on  the  upper  part  of  the  portage,  joined  that  of 
Captain  Clark  at  the  lower  camp,  where  a second  cache , or 
place  of  deposit,  had  been  formed,  and  where  the  boat- 
swivel  was  now  hidden  under  the  rocks.  The  journal 
says : — 

“ The  party  were  employed  in  preparing  timber  for  the 
boat,  except  two  who  were  sent  to  hunt.  About  one  in 
the  afternoon  a cloud  arose  from  the  southwest,  and 
brought  with  it  violent  thunder,  lightning,  and  hail.  Soon 
after  it  passed,  the  hunters  came  in,  from  about  four  miles 
above  us.  They  had  killed  nine  elk  and  three  bears.  As 
they  were  hunting  on  the  river  they  saw  a low  ground 
covered  with  thick  brushwood,  where  from  the  tracks 
along  shore  they  thought  a bear  had  probably  taken 
refuge.  They  therefore  landed,  without  making  a noise, 
and  climbed  a tree  about  twenty  feet  above  the  ground. 
Having  fixed  themselves  securely,  they  raised  a loud 
shout,  and  a bear  instantly  rushed  toward  them.  These 
animals  never  climb,  and  therefore  when  he  came  to  the 
tree  and  stopped  to  look  at  them,  Drewyer  shot  him  in 
the  head.  He  proved  to  be  the  largest  we  had  yet  seen  ; 
his  nose  appeared  to  be  like  that  of  a common  ox ; his 
fore  feet  measured  nine  inches  across ; the  hind  feet  were 


First  Across  the  Continent 


1 16 


seven  inches  wide  and  eleven  and  three  quarters  long, 
exclusive  of  the  talons.  One  of  these  animals  came  within 
thirty  yards  of  the  camp  last  night,  and  carried  off  some 
buffalo-meat  which  we  had  placed  on  a pole.” 

The  party  were  very  much  annoyed  here  by  the  grizzlies 
which  infested  their  camp  at  night.  Their  faithful  dog 
always  gave  warning  of  the  approach  of  one  of  these 
monsters ; but  the  men  were  obliged  to  sleep  with  their 
guns  by  their  side,  ready  to  repel  the  enemy  at  a moment’s 
notice. 

Captain  Clark  finally  broke  up  the  camp  on  Portage 
Creek,  June  28,  having  deposited  in  his  cache  whatever 
could  be  left  behind  without  inconvenience.  “ On  the 
following  day,”  the  journal  says : — 

“ Finding  it  impossible  to  reach  the  upper  end  of  the 
portage  with  the  present  load,  in  consequence  of  the  state 
of  the  road  after  the  rain,  he  sent  back  nearly  all  his  party 
to  bring  on  the  articles  which  had  been  left  yesterday. 
Having  lost  some  notes  and  remarks  which  he  had  made 
on  first  ascending  the  river,  he  determined  to  go  up 
to  the  Whitebear  Islands  along  its  banks,  in  order  to 
supply  the  deficiency.  He  there  left  one  man  to  guard 
the  baggage,  and  went  on  to  the  falls,  accompanied  by 
his  servant  York,  Chaboneau,  and  his  wife  with  her  young 
child. 

“ On  his  arrival  there  he  observed  a very  dark  cloud 
rising  in  the  west,  which  threatened  rain,  and  looked 
around  for  some  shelter;  but  could  find  no  place  where 
the  party  would  be  secure  from  being  blown  into  the 
river,  if  the  wind  should  prove  as  violent  as  it  sometimes 
does  in  the  plains.  At  length,  about  a quarter  of  a mile 
above  the  falls,  he  found  a deep  ravine,  where  there  were 
some  shelving  rocks,  under  which  he  took  refuge.  They 


In  the  Heart  of  the  Continent 


117 


were  on  the  upper  side  of  the  ravine  near  the  river, 
perfectly  safe  from  the  rain,  and  therefore  laid  down  their 
guns,  compass,  and  other  articles  which  they  carried  with 
them.  The  shower  was  at  first  moderate;  it  then  in- 
creased to  a heavy  rain,  the  effects  of  which  they  did  not 
feel ; but  soon  after,  a torrent  of  rain  and  hail  descended. 
The  rain  seemed  to  fall  in  a solid  mass,  and  instantly, 
collecting  in  the  ravine,  came  rolling  down  in  a dreadful 
current,  carrying  the  mud,  rocks,  and  everything  that 
opposed  it.  Captain  Clark  fortunately  saw  it  a moment 
before  it  reached  them,  and  springing  up  with  his  gun  and 
shot-pouch  in  his  left  hand,  with  his  right  clambered  up 
the  steep  bluff,  pushing  on  the  Indian  woman  with  her 
child  in  her  arms ; her  husband  too  had  seized  her  hand 
and  was  pulling  her  up  the  hill,  but  he  was  so  terrified  at 
the  danger  that  he  remained  frequently  motionless ; and 
but  for  Captain  Clark,  himself  and  his  wife  and  child 
would  have  been  lost.  So  instantaneous  was  the  rise  of 
the  water  that,  before  Captain  Clark  had  reached  his  gun 
and  begun  to  ascend  the  bank,  the  water  was  up  to  his 
waist,  and  he  could  scarcely  get  up  faster  than  it  rose, 
till  it  reached  the  height  of  fifteen  feet,  with  a furious  cur- 
rent which,  had  they  waited  a moment  longer,  would  have 
swept  them  into  the  river  just  above  the  Great  Falls,  down 
which  they  must  inevitably  have  been  precipitated.  They 
reached  the  plain  in  safety  and  found  York,  who  had 
separated  from  them  just  before  the  storm  to  hunt  some 
buffalo,  and  was  now  returning  to  find  his  master.  They 
had  been  obliged  to  escape  so  rapidly  that  Captain  Clark 
lost  his  compass  [that  is,  circumferentor]  and  umbrella, 
Chaboneau  left  his  gun,  with  Captain  Lewis’  wiping-rod, 
shot-pouch,  and  tomahawk,  and  the  Indian  woman  had 
just  time  to  grasp  her  child,  before  the  net  in  which  it  lay 
at  her  feet  was  carried  down  the  current.” 


n8 


First  Across  the  Continent 


Such  a storm  is  known  in  the  West  as  a cloud-burst. 
Overland  emigrants  in  the  early  rush  to  California  often 
suffered  loss  from  these  sudden  deluges.  A party  of  men, 
with  wagons  and  animals,  have  been  known  to  be  swept 
away  and  lost  in  a flood  bursting  in  a narrow  canyon  in 
the  mountains. 

“ Captain  Clark  now  relinquished  his  intention  of  going 
up  the  river,  and  returned  to  the  camp  at  Willow  Run. 
Here  he  found  that  the  party  sent  this  morning  for  the 
baggage  had  all  returned  to  camp  in  great  confusion,  leav- 
ing their  loads  in  the  plain.  On  account  of  the  heat, 
they  generally  go  nearly  naked,  and  with  no  covering  on 
their  heads.  The  hail  was  so  large,  and  driven  so  furiously 
against  them  by  the  high  wind,  that  it  knocked  several  of 
them  down : one  of  them,  particularly,  was  thrown  on  the 
ground  three  times,  and  most  of  them  were  bleeding  freely, 
and  complained  of  being  much  bruised.  Willow  Run  had 
risen  six  feet  since  the  rain ; and,  as  the  plains  were  so  wet 
that  they  could  not  proceed,  they  passed  the  night  at  their 
camp. 

“At  the  White  Bear  camp,  also,”  (says  Lewis),  “we  had 
not  been  insensible  to  the  hailstorm,  though  less  exposed. 
In  the  morning  there  had  been  a heavy  shower  of  rain,  after 
which  it  became  fair.  After  assigning  to  the  men  their  re- 
spective employments,  Captain  Lewis  took  one  of  them, 
and  went  to  see  the  large  fountain  near  the  falls.  ...  It 
is,  perhaps,  the  largest  in  America,  and  is  situated  in  a 
pleasant  level  plain,  about  twenty-five  yards  from  the  river, 
into  which  it  falls  over  some  steep,  irregular  rocks,  with  a 
sudden  ascent  of  about  six  feet  in  one  part  of  its  course. 
The  water  boils  up  from  among  the  rocks,  and  with  such 
force  near  the  centre  that  the  surface  seems  higher  there 
than  the  earth  on  the  sides  of  the  fountain,  which  is  a hand- 


In  the  Heart  of  the  Continent 


"9 


some  turf  of  fine  green  grass.  The  water  is  extremely  pure, 
cold,  and  pleasant  to  the  taste,  not  being  impregnated  with 
lime  or  any  foreign  substance.  It  is  perfectly  transparent, 
and  continues  its  bluish  cast  for  half  a mile  down  the  Mis- 
souri, notwithstanding  the  rapidity  of  the  river.  After  ex- 
amining it  for  some  time,  Captain  Lewis  returned  to  the 
camp. 

. . . “ Two  men  were  sent  [June  30]  to  the  falls  to 
look  for  the  articles  lost  yesterday ; but  they  found  noth- 
ing but  the  compass,  covered  with  mud  and  sand,  at  the 
mouth  of  the  ravine.  The  place  at  which  Captain  Clark 
had  been  caught  by  the  storm  was  filled  with  large  rocks. 
The  men  complain  much  of  the  bruises  received  yesterday 
from  the  hail.  A more  than  usual  number  of  buffalo  ap- 
peared about  the  camp  to-day,  and  furnished  plenty  of 
meat.  Captain  Clark  thought  that  at  one  view  he  must 
have  seen  at  least  ten  thousand.” 

Of  the  party  at  the  upper  camp,  opposite  White  Bear 
Islands,  the  journal  makes  this  observation : — 

“ The  party  continues  to  be  occupied  with  the  boat,  the 
cross-bars  for  which  are  now  finished,  and  there  remain 
only  the  strips  to  complete  the  woodwork.  The  skins 
necessary  to  cover  it  have  already  been  prepared ; they 
amount  to  twenty-eight  elk-skins  and  four  buffalo-skins. 
Among  our  game  were  two  beaver,  which  we  have  had 
occasion  to  observe  are  found  wherever  there  is  timber. 
We  also  killed  a large  bull-bat  or  goatsucker,  of  which  there 
are  many  in  this  neighborhood,  resembling  in  every  respect 
those  of  the  same  species  in  the  United  States.  We  have 
not  seen  the  leather-winged  bat  for  some  time,  nor  are  there 
any  of  the  small  goatsucker  in  this  part  of  the  Missouri. 
We  have  not  seen  that  species  of  goatsucker  called  the  whip- 
poorwill, which  is  commonly  confounded  in  the  United 


I 20 


First  Across  the  Continent 


States  with  the  large  goatsucker  which  we  observe  here. 
This  last  prepares  no  nest,  but  lays  its  eggs  on  the  open 
plains;  they  generally  begin  to  sit  on  two  eggs,  and  we 
believe  raise  only  one  brood  in  a season ; at  the  present 
moment  they  are  just  hatching  their  young.” 

Dr.  Coues  says  that  we  should  bear  in  mind  that  this 
was  written  “ when  bats  were  birds  and  whales  were  fishes 
for  most  persons.”  The  journal  confounds  bats,  which 
are  winged  mammals,  with  goatsuckers,  or  whippoorwills, 
which  are  birds. 

The  second  of  July  was  an  interesting  date  for  the  ex- 
plorers. On  that  day  we  find  the  following  entry  in  their 
journal : — 

“A  shower  of  rain  fell  very  early  this  morning.  We 
then  despatched  some  men  for  the  baggage  left  behind 
yesterday,  and  the  rest  were  engaged  in  putting  the  boat 
together.  This  was  accomplished  in  about  three  hours, 
and  then  we  began  to  sew  on  the  leather  over  the  cross- 
bars of  iron  on  the  inner  side  of  the  boat  which  form  the 
ends  of  the  sections.  By  two  o’clock  the  last  of  the  bag- 
gage arrived,  to  the  great  delight  of  the  party,  who  were 
anxious  to  proceed.  The  mosquitoes  we  find  very  trouble- 
some. 

“ Having  completed  our  celestial  observations,  we  went 
over  to  the  large  island  to  make  an  attack  upon  its  inhabit- 
ants, the  bears,  which  have  annoyed  us  very  much  of  late, 
and  were  prowling  about  our  camp  all  last  night.  We 
found  that  the  part  of  the  island  frequented  by  the  bears 
forms  an  almost  impenetrable  thicket  of  the  broad-leaved 
willow.  Into  this  we  forced  our  way  in  parties  of  three ; 
but  could  see  only  one  bear,  which  instantly  attacked 
Drewyer.  Fortunately,  as  he  was  rushing  on,  the  hunter 
shot  him  through  the  heart  within  twenty  paces  and  he  fell, 


A Grizzly  Beaf 


In  the  Heart  of  the  Continent 


I 2 I 


which  enabled  Drewyer  to  get  out  of  his  way.  We  then 
followed  him  one  hundred  yards,  and  found  that  the 
wound  had  been  mortal. 

“ Not  being  able  to  discover  any  more  of  these  animals, 
we  returned  to  camp.  Here,  in  turning  over  some  of  the 
baggage,  we  caught  a rat  somewhat  larger  than  the  com- 
mon European  rat,  and  of  a lighter  color;  the  body  and 
outer  parts  of  the  legs  and  head  of  a light  lead  color ; the 
inner  side  of  the  legs,  as  well  as  the  belly,  feet,  and  ears, 
white ; the  ears  are  not  covered  with  hair,  and  are  much 
larger  than  those  of  the  common  rat ; the  toes  also  are 
longer;  the  eyes  are  black  and  prominent,  the  whiskers 
very  long  and  full ; the  tail  is  rather  longer  than  the  body, 
and  covered  with  fine  fur  and  hair  of  the  same  size  with 
that  on  the  back,  which  is  very  close,  short,  and  silky  in  its 
texture.  This  was  the  first  we  had  met,  although  its  nests 
are  very  frequent  in  the  cliffs  of  rocks  and  hollow  trees, 
where  we  also  found  large  quantities  of  the  shells  and  seed 
of  the  prickly-pear.” 

The  queer  rat  discovered  by  Lewis  and  Clark  was  then 
unknown  to  science.  It  is  now  known  in  the  Far  West  as 
the  pack-rat.  It  lives  in  holes  and  crevices  of  the  rocks, 
and  it  subsists  on  the  shells  and  seeds  of  the  prickly  pear, 
which  is  usually  abundant  in  the  hunting  grounds  of  the 
little  animal.  The  explorers  were  now  constantly  in  full 
view  of  the  Rocky  Mountain,  on  which,  however,  their 
present  title  had  not  then  been  conferred.  Under  date  of 
July  2,  the  journal  says : — 

“ The  mosquitoes  are  uncommonly  troublesome.  The 
wind  was  again  high  from  the  southwest.  These  winds 
are  in  fact  always  the  coldest  and  most  violent  which 
we  experience,  and  the  hypothesis  which  we  have  formed 
on  that  subject  is,  that  the  air,  coming  in  contact  with 


I 22 


First  Across  the  Continent 


the  Snowy  Mountains,  immediately  becomes  chilled  and 
condensed,  and  being  thus  rendered  heavier  than  the 
air  below,  it  descends  into  the  rarefied  air  below,  or 
into  the  vacuum  formed  by  the  constant  action  of  the 
sun  on  the  open  unsheltered  plains.  The  clouds  rise 
suddenly  near  these  mountains,  and  distribute  their  con- 
tents partially  over  the  neighboring  plains.  The  same 
cloud  will  discharge  hail  alone  in  one  part,  hail  and  rain 
in  another,  and  rain  only  in  a third,  all  within  the  space 
of  a few  miles ; while  at  the  same  time  there  is  snow  falling 
on  the  mountains  to  the  southeast  of  us.  There  is  at 
present  no  snow  on  those  mountains ; that  which  covered 
them  on  our  arrival,  as  well  as  that  which  has  since  fallen, 
having  disappeared.  The  mountains  to  the  north  and 
northwest  of  us  are  still  entirely  covered  with  snow;  in- 
deed, there  has  been  no  perceptible  diminution  of  it  since 
we  first  saw  them,  which  induces  a belief  either  that  the 
clouds  prevailing  at  this  season  do  not  reach  their  summits 
or  that  they  deposit  their  snow  only.  They  glisten  with 
great  beauty  when  the  sun  shines  on  them  in  a particular 
direction,  and  most  probably  from  this  glittering  appear- 
ance have  derived  the  name  of  the  Shining  Mountains.” 

A mysterious  noise,  heard  by  the  party,  here  engaged 
their  attention,  as  it  did  years  afterwards  the  attention  of 
other  explorers.  The  journal  says:  — 

“ Since  our  arrival  at  the  falls  we  have  repeatedly  heard 
a strange  noise  coming  from  the  mountains  in  a direction 
a little  to  the  north  of  west.  It  is  heard  at  different 
periods  of  the  day  and  night  (sometimes  when  the  air  is 
perfectly  still  and  without  a cloud),  and  consists  of  one 
stroke  only,  or  of  five  or  six  discharges  in  quick  succession. 
It  is  loud,  and  resembles  precisely  the  sound  of  a six-pound 
piece  of  ordnance  at  the  distance  of  three  miles.  The 


In  the  Heart  of  the  Continent 


I23 


Minnetarees  frequently  mentioned  this  noise,  like  thunder, 
which  they  said  the  mountains  made ; but  we  had  paid  no 
attention  to  it,  believing  it  to  have  been  some  superstition, 
or  perhaps  a falsehood.  The  watermen  also  of  the  party 
say  that  the  Pawnees  and  Ricaras  give  the  same  account 
of  a noise  heard  in  the  Black  Mountains  to  the  westward 
of  them.  The  solution  of  the  mystery  given  by  the  phi- 
losophy of  the  watermen  is,  that  it  is  occasioned  by  the 
bursting  of  the  rich  mines  of  silver  confined  within  the 
bosom  of  the  mountains.” 

Of  these  strange  noises  there  are  many  explanations, 
the  most  plausible  being  that  they  are  caused  by  the  ex- 
plosion of  the  species  of  stone  known  as  the  geode,  frag- 
ments of  which  are  frequently  found  among  the  mountains. 
The  geode  has  a hollow  cell  within,  lined  with  beautiful 
crystals  of  many  colors. 

Independence  Day,  1805,  was  celebrated  with  becoming 
patriotism  and  cheerfulness  by  these  far-wandering  adven- 
turers. Their  record  says  : — 

“ An  elk  and  a beaver  are  all  that  were  killed  to-day ; 
the  buffalo  seem  to  have  withdrawn  from  our  neighborhood, 
though  several  of  the  men,  who  went  to-day  to  visit  the 
falls  for  the  first  time,  mention  that  they  are  still  abundant 
at  that  place.  We  contrived,  however,  to  spread  not  a 
very  sumptuous  but  a comfortable  table  in  honor  of  the 
day,  and  in  the  evening  gave  the  men  a drink  of  spirits, 
which  was  the  last  of  our  stock.  Some  of  them  appeared 
sensible  to  the  effects  of  even  so  small  a quantity ; and  as 
is  usual  among  them  on  all  festivals,  the  fiddle  was  pro- 
duced and  a dance  begun,  which  lasted  till  nine  o’clock, 
when  it  was  interrupted  by  a heavy  shower  of  rain.  They 
continued  their  merriment,  however,  till  a late  hour.” 

Their  bill-of-fare,  according  to  Captain  Lewis,  was  bacon, 


First  Across  the  Continent 


1 24 


beans,  suet  dumplings,  and  buffalo  meat,  which,  he  says, 
“ gave  them  no  just  cause  to  covet  the  sumptuous  feasts 
of  our  countrymen  on  this  day.”  More  than  a year  passed 
before  they  again  saw  and  tasted  spirits. 

Great  expectations  were  entertained  of  the  boat  that 
was  built  here  on  the  iron  frame  brought  all  the  way  from 
Harper’s  Ferry,  Virginia.  The  frame  was  covered  with 
dressed  skins  of  buffalo  and  elk,  the  seams  being  coated 
with  a composition  of  powdered  charcoal  and  beeswax,  in 
default  of  tar  or  pitch.  This  craft  was  well  named  the 
“ Experiment,”  and  a disappointing  experiment  it  proved 
to  be.  Here  is  Captain  Lewis’  account  of  her  failure: 

“ The  boat  having  now  become  sufficiently  dry,  we 
gave  her  a coat  of  the  composition,  which  after  a proper 
interval  was  repeated,  and  the  next  morning,  Tuesday, 
July  9th,  she  was  launched  into  the  water,  and  swam 
perfectly  well.  The  seats  were  then  fixed  and  the 
oars  fitted ; but  after  we  had  loaded  her,  as  well  as  the 
canoes,  and  were  on  the  point  of  setting  out,  a violent 
wind  caused  the  waves  to  wet  the  baggage,  so  that  we 
were  forced  to  unload  the  boats.  The  wind  continued 
high  until  evening,  when  to  our  great  disappointment  we 
discovered  that  nearly  all  the  composition  had  separated 
from  the  skins  and  left  the  seams  perfectly  exposed;  so 
that  the  boat  now  leaked  very  much.  To  repair  this  mis- 
fortune without  pitch  is  impossible,  and  as  none  of  that 
article  is  to  be  procured,  we  therefore,  however  reluctantly, 
are  obliged  to  abandon  her,  after  having  had  so  much 
labor  in  the  construction.  We  now  saw  that  the  section 
of  the  boat  covered  with  buffalo-skins  on  which  hair  had 
been  left  answered  better  than  the  elk-skins,  and  leaked 
but  little ; while  that  part  which  was  covered  with  hair 
nbout  one-eighth  of  an  inch  retained  the  composition 


In  the  Heart  of  the  Continent 


125 


perfectly,  and  remained  sound  and  dry.  From  this  we 
perceived  that  had  we  employed  buffalo  instead  of  elk 
skins,  not  singed  them  so  closely  as  we  did,  and  carefully 
avoided  cutting  the  leather  in  sewing,  the  boat  would  have 
been  sufficient  even  with  the  present  composition ; or  had 
we  singed  instead  of  shaving  the  elk-skins,  we  might  have 
succeeded.  But  we  discovered  our  error  too  late ; the 
buffalo  had  deserted  us,  and  the  travelling  season  was  so 
fast  advancing  that  we  had  no  time  to  spare  for  experi- 
ments; therefore,  finding  that  she  could  be  no  longer 
useful,  she  was  sunk  in  the  water,  so  as  to  soften  the  skins, 
and  enable  us  the  more  easily  to  take  her  to  pieces. 

“It  now  became  necessary  to  provide  other  means  for 
transporting  the  baggage  which  we  had  intended  to  stow 
in  her.  For  this  purpose  we  shall  want  two  more  canoes; 
but  for  many  miles  — from  below  the  mouth  of  the  Mussel- 
shell River  to  this  place  — we  have  not  seen  a single  tree 
fit  to  be  used  in  that  way.  The  hunters,  however,  who 
have  hitherto  been  sent  after  timber,  mention  that  there 
is  a low  ground  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  about 
eight  miles  above  us  by  land,  and  more  than  twice  that 
distance  by  water,  in  which  we  may  probably  find  trees 
large  enough  for  our  purposes.  Captain  Clark  deter- 
mined, therefore,  to  set  out  by  land  for  that  place  with 
ten  of  the  best  workmen,  who  would  be  occupied  in  build- 
ing the  canoes  till  the  rest  of  the  party,  after  taking  the 
boat  to  pieces,  and  making  the  necessary  deposits,  should 
transport  the  baggage,  and  join  them  with  the  other  six 
canoes. 

“ He  accordingly  passed  over  to  the  opposite  side  of 
the  river  with  his  party  next  day,  and  proceeded  on  eight 
miles  by  land,  the  distance  by  water  being  twenty-three 
and  three  quarter  miles.  Here  he  found  two  cottonwood 


First  Across  the  Continent 


I 26 


trees ; but,  on  cutting  them  down,  one  proved  to  be 
hollow,  split  at  the  top  in  falling,  and  both  were  much 
damaged  at  the  bottom.  He  searched  the  neighbor- 
hood, but  could  find  none  which  would  suit  better,  and 
therefore  was  obliged  to  make  use  of  those  which  he  had 
felled,  shortening  them  in  order  to  avoid  the  cracks,  and 
supplying  the  deficiency  by  making  them  as  wide  as 
possible.  They  were  equally  at  a loss  for  wood  of  which 
they  might  make  handles  for  their  axes,  the  eyes  of  which 
not  being  round,  they  were  obliged  to  split  the  timber  in 
such  a manner  that  thirteen  of  the  handles  broke  in  the 
course  of  the  day,  though  made  of  the  best  wood  they 
could  find  for  the  purpose,  which  was  the  chokecherry. 

“ The  rest  of  the  party  took  the  frame  of  the  boat  to 
pieces,  deposited  it  in  a cache  or  hole,  with  a draught  of 
the  country  from  Fort  Mandan  to  this  place,  and  also  some 
other  papers  and  small  articles  of  less  importance.” 

High  winds  prevented  the  party  from  making  rapid 
progress,  and  notwithstanding  the  winds  they  were  greatly 
troubled  with  mosquitoes.  Lest  the  reader  should  think 
the  explorers  too  sensitive  on  the  subject  of  these  trouble- 
some pests,  it  should  be  said  that  only  western  travellers 
can  realize  the  numbers  and  venom  of  the  mosquitoes  of 
that  region.  Early  emigrants  across  the  continent  were 
so  afflicted  by  these  insects  that  the  air  at  times  seemed 
full  of  gray  clouds  of  them.  It  was  the  custom  of  the 
wayfarers  to  build  a “ smudge,”  as  it  was  called,  a low, 
smouldering  fire  of  green  boughs  and  brush,  the  dense 
smoke  from  which  (almost  as  annoying  as  the  mosquitoes) 
would  drive  off  their  persecutors  as  long  as  the  victims 
sat  in  the  smoke.  The  sleeping  tent  was  usually  cleared 
in  this  way  before  “ turning  in  ” at  night,  every  opening 
of  the  canvas  being  afterwards  closed. 


In  the  Heart  of  the  Continent 


127 


Captain  Lewis,  on  the  thirteenth  of  July,  followed  Captain 
Clark  up  the  river ; crossing  the  stream  to  the  north  bank, 
with  his  six  canoes  and  all  his  baggage,  he  overtook  the 
other  party  on  the  same  day  and  found  them  all  engaged 
in  boat-building. 

“ On  his  way  he  passed  a very  large  Indian  lodge,  which 
was  probably  designed  as  a great  council-house ; but  it 
differed  in  its  construction  from  all  that  we  had  seen,  lower 
down  the  Missouri  or  elsewhere.  The  form  of  it  was  a 
circle  two  hundred  and  sixteen  feet  in  circumference  at  the 
base ; it  was  composed  of  sixteen  large  cottonwood  poles 
about  fifty  feet  long  and  at  their  thicker  ends,  which 
touched  the  ground,  about  the  size  of  a man’s  body.  They 
were  distributed  at  equal  distances,  except  that  one  was 
omitted  to  the  east,  probably  for  the  entrance.  From  the 
circumference  of  this  circle  the  poles  converged  toward 
the  centre,  where  they  were  united  and  secured  by  large 
withes  of  willow-brush.  There  was  no  covering  over  this 
fabric,  in  the  centre  of  which  were  the  remains  of  a large 
fire,  and  around  it  the  marks  of  about  eighty  leathern 
lodges.  He  also  saw  a number  of  turtle-doves,  and  some 
pigeons,  of  which  he  shot  one,  differing  in  no  respect  from 
the  wild  pigeon  of  the  United  States. 

“The  buffalo  have  not  yet  quite  gone,  for  the  hunters 
brought  in  three,  in  very  good  order.  It  requires  some 
diligence  to  supply  us  plentifully,  for  as  we  reserve  our 
parched  meal  for  the  Rocky  Mountains,  where  we  do  not 
expect  to  find  much  game,  our  principal  article  of  food  is 
meat,  and  the  consumption  of  the  whole  thirty-two  persons 
belonging  to  the  party  amounts  to  four  deer,  an  elk  and  a 
deer,  or  one  buffalo,  every  twenty-four  hours.  The  mos- 
quitoes and  gnats  persecute  us  as  violently  as  below,  so  that 


First  Across  the  Continent 


i 28 


we  can  get  no  sleep  unless  defended  by  biers  [nets],  with 
which  we  are  all  provided.  We  here  found  several 
plants  hitherto  unknown  to  us,  of  which  we  preserved 
specimens.” 

On  the  fourteenth  of  July,  the  boats  were  finally  launched, 
and  next  day  the  journal  records  this  important  event: 

“We  rose  early,  embarked  all  our  baggage  on  board 
the  canoes,  which,  though  eight  in  number,  are  heavily 
loaded,  and  at  ten  o’clock  set  out  on  our  journey.  . . . 
At  the  distance  of  seven  and  a half  miles  we  came  to 
the  lower  point  of  a woodland,  at  the  entrance  of  a beauti- 
ful river,  which,  in  honor  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy, 
we  called  Smith’s  River.  This  stream  falls  into  a bend  on 
the  south  side  of  the  Missouri,  and  is  eighty  yards  wide. 
As  far  as  we  could  discern  its  course,  it  wound  through 
a charming  valley  towards  the  southeast,  in  which  many 
herds  of  buffalo  were  feeding,  till,  at  the  distance  of  twenty- 
five  miles,  it  entered  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  was  lost 
from  our  view.  . . . 

“ We  find  the  prickly  pear,  one  of  the  greatest  beauties 
as  well  as  greatest  inconveniences  of  the  plains,  now  in  full 
bloom.  The  sunflower,  too,  a plant  common  on  every 
part  of  the  Missouri  from  its  entrance  to  this  place,  is  here 
very  abundant,  and  in  bloom.  The  lamb’s-quarter,  wild 
cucumber,  sand-rush,  and  narrow  dock,  are  also  common.” 

The  journal  here  records  the  fact  that  the  great  river 
had  now  become  so  crooked  that  it  was  expedient  to  note 
only  its  general  course,  leaving  out  all  description  of  its  turns 
and  windings.  The  Missouri  was  now  flowing  due  north, 
leaving  its  bends  out  of  account,  and  the  explorers,  ascend- 
ing the  river,  were  therefore  travelling  south  ; and  although 
the  journal  sets  forth  “the  north  bank”  and  “the  south 
bank,”  it  should  be  understood  that  west  is  meant  by  the 


In  the  Heart  of  the  Continent 


1 29 


one,  and  east  by  the  other.  Buffalo  were  observed  in  great 
numbers.  Many  obstacles  to  navigating  the  river  were 
encountered.  Under  date  of  July  17,  the  journal  says : 

“ The  navigation  is  now  very  laborious.  The  river  is 
deep,  but  with  little  current,  and  from  seventy  to  one  hun- 
dred yards  wide;  the  low  grounds  are  very  narrow,  with 
but  little  timber,  and  that  chiefly  the  aspen  tree.  The  cliffs 
are  steep,  and  hang  over  the  river  so  much  that  often  we 
could  not  cross  them,  but  were  obliged  to  pass  and  repass 
from  one  side  of  the  river  to  the  other,  in  order  to  make 
our  way.  In  some  places  the  banks  are  formed  of  dark 
or  black  granite  rising  perpendicularly  to  a great  height, 
through  which  the  river  seems,  in  the  progress  of  time,  to 
have  worn  its  channel.  On  these  mountains  we  see  more 
pine  than  usual,  but  it  is  still  in  small  quantities.  Along 
the  bottoms,  which  have  a covering  of  high  grass,  we  ob- 
served the  sunflower  blooming  in  great  abundance.  The 
Indians  of  the  Missouri,  more  especially  those  who  do  not 
cultivate  maize,  make  great  use  of  the  seed  of  this  plant 
for  bread,  or  in  thickening  their  soup.  They  first  parch 
and  then  pound  it  between  two  stones,  until  it  is  reduced 
to  a fine  meal.  Sometimes  they  add  a portion  of  water, 
and  drink  it  thus  diluted ; at  other  times  they  add  a suffi- 
cient proportion  of  marrow-grease  to  reduce  it  to  the 
consistency  of  common  dough,  and  eat  it  in  that  manner. 
This  last  composition  we  preferred  to  all  the  rest,  and 
thought  it  at  that  time  a very  palatable  dish.” 

They  also  feasted  on  a great  variety  of  wild  berries,  — 
purple,  yellow,  and  black  currants,  which  were  delicious 
and  more  pleasant  to  the  palate  than  those  grown  in  their 
Virginia  home-gardens ; also  service-berries,  popularly 
known  to  later  emigrants  as  “ sarvice-berries.”  These 
grow  on  small  bushes,  two  or  three  feet  high;  and  the 

9 


1 3° 


First  Across  the  Continent 


fruit  is  purple-skinned,  with  a white  pulp,  resembling  a 
ripe  gooseberry. 

The  journal,  next  day,  has  the  following  entry:  — 

“This  morning  early,  before  our  departure,  we  saw  a 
large  herd  of  the  big-horned  animals,  which  were  bound- 
ing among  the  rocks  on  the  opposite  cliff  with  great  agil- 
ity. These  inaccessible  spots  secure  them  from  all  their 
enemies,  and  their  only  danger  is  in  wandering  among 
these  precipices,  where  we  would  suppose  it  scarcely  pos- 
sible for  any  animal  to  stand ; a single  false  step  would 
precipitate  them  at  least  five  hundred  feet  into  the  water. 

“ At  one  and  one  fourth  miles  we  passed  another  single 
cliff  on  the  left ; at  the  same  distance  beyond  which  is  the 
mouth  of  a large  river  emptying  from  the  north.  It  is  a 
handsome,  bold,  and  clear  stream,  eighty  yards  wide  — 
that  is,  nearly  as  broad  as  the  Missouri — with  a rapid 
current,  over  a bed  of  small  smooth  stones  of  various 
figures.  The  water  is  extremely  transparent ; the  low 
grounds  are  narrow,  but  possess  as  much  wood  as  those 
of  the  Missouri.  The  river  has  every  appearance  of  being 
navigable,  though  to  what  distance  we  cannot  ascertain,  as 
the  country  which  it  waters  is  broken  and  mountainous. 
In  honor  of  the  Secretary  of  War  we  called  it  Dearborn’s 
River.” 

General  Henry  Dearborn,  who  was  then  Secretary  of 
War,  in  Jefferson’s  administration,  gave  his  name,  a few 
years  later,  to  a collection  of  camps  and  log-cabins  on  Lake 
Michigan;  and  in  due  time  Fort  Dearborn  became  the 
great  city  of  Chicago.  Continuing,  the  journal  says: 

“ Being  now  very  anxious  to  meet  with  the  Shoshonees 
or  Snake  Indians,  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  the  neces- 
sary information  of  our  route,  as  well  as  to  procure  horses, 
it  was  thought  best  for  one  of  us  to  go  forward  with  a small 


In  the  Heart  of  the  Continent 


r3J 


party  and  endeavor  to  discover  them,  before  the  daily  dis- 
charge of  our  guns,  which  is  necessary  for  our  subsistence, 
should  give  them  notice  of  our  approach.  If  by  an  acci- 
dent they  hear  us,  they  will  most  probably  retreat  to  the 
mountains,  mistaking  us  for  their  enemies,  who  usually 
attack  them  on  this  side.” 

Captain  Clark  was  now  in  the  lead  with  a small  party, 
and  he  came  upon  the  remains  of  several  Indian  camps 
formed  of  willow-brush.  Traces  of  Indians  became  more 
plentiful.  The  journal  adds  : — 

“ At  the  same  time  Captain  Clark  observed  that  the 
pine  trees  had  been  stripped  of  their  bark  about  the  same 
season,  which  our  Indian  woman  says  her  countrymen  do 
in  order  to  obtain  the  sap  and  the  soft  parts  of  the  wood 
and  bark  for  food.  About  eleven  o’clock  he  met  a herd  of 
elk  and  killed  two  of  them ; but  such  was  the  want  of  wood 
in  the  neighborhood  that  he  was  unable  to  procure  enough 
to  make  a fire,  and  was  therefore  obliged  to  substitute  the 
dung  of  the  buffalo,  with  which  he  cooked  his  breakfast. 
They  then  resumed  their  course  along  an  old  Indian  road. 
In  the  afternoon  they  reached  a handsome  valley,  watered 
by  a large  creek,  both  of  which  extended  a considerable 
distance  into  the  mountain.  This  they  crossed,  and  during 
the  evening  travelled  over  a mountainous  country  covered 
with  sharp  fragments  of  flint  rock ; these  bruised  and  cut 
their  feet  very  much,  but  were  scarcely  less  troublesome 
than  the  prickly-pear  of  the  open  plains,  which  have  now 
become  so  abundant  that  it  is  impossible  to  avoid  them, 
and  the  thorns  are  so  strong  that  they  pierce  a double 
sole  of  dressed  deer-skin ; the  best  resource  against  them 
is  a sole  of  buffalo-hide  in  parchment  [that  is,  hard  dried]. 
At  night  they  reached  the  river  much  fatigued,  having 


132 


First  Across  the  Continent 


passed  two  mountains  in  the  course  of  the  day,  and  trav- 
elled thirty  miles.  Captain  Clark’s  first  employment,  on 
lighting  a fire,  was  to  extract  from  his  feet  the  thorns, 
which  he  found  seventeen  in  number.” 

The  dung  of  the  buffalo,  exposed  for  many  years  to  the 
action  of  sun,  wind,  and  rain,  became  as  dry  and  firm  as 
the  finest  compressed  hay.  As  “ buffalo  chips,”  in  these 
treeless  regions,  it  was  the  overland  emigrants’  sole  de- 
pendence for  fuel. 

The  explorers  now  approached  a wonderful  pass  in  the 
Rocky  Mountains  which  their  journal  thus  describes: 

“ A mile  and  a half  beyond  this  creek  [Cottonwood 
Creek]  the  rocks  approach  the  river  on  both  sides,  form- 
ing a most  sublime  and  extraordinary  spectacle.  For  five 
and  three  quarter  miles  these  rocks  rise  perpendicularly 
from  the  water’s  edge  to  the  height  of  nearly  twelve  hun- 
dred feet.  They  are  composed  of  a black  granite  near 
their  base,  but  from  the  lighter  color  above,  and  from  the 
fragments,  we  suppose  the  upper  part  to  be  flint  of  a yel- 
lowish brown  and  cream  color. 

“ Nothing  can  be  imagined  more  tremendous  than  the 
frowning  darkness  of  these  rocks,  which  project  over  the 
river  and  menace  us  with  destruction.  The  river,  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  yards  in  width,  seems  to  have  forced  its 
channel  down  this  solid  mass;  but  so  reluctantly  has  it 
given  way,  that  during  the  whole  distance  the  water  is  very 
deep  even  at  the  edges,  and  for  the  first  three  miles  there 
is  not  a spot,  except  one  of  a few  yards,  in  which  a man 
could  stand  between  the  water  and  the  towering  perpen- 
dicular of  the  mountain.  The  convulsion  of  the  passage 
must  have  been  terrible,  since  at  its  outlet  there  are  vast 
columns  of  rock  torn  from  the  mountain,  which  are  strewed 
on  both  sides  of  the  river,  the  trophies,  as  it  were,  of  its 


In  the  Heart  of  the  Continent 


1 33 


victory.  Several  fine  springs  burst  out  from  the  chasms  of 
the  rock,  and  contribute  to  increase  the  river,  which  has  a 
strong  current,  but,  very  fortunately,  we  were  able  to  over- 
come it  with  our  oars,  since  it  would  have  been  impossible 
to  use  either  the  cord  or  the  pole.  We  were  obliged  to  go 
on  some  time  after  dark,  not  being  able  to  find  a spot  large 
enough  to  encamp  on;  but  at  length,  about  two  miles 
above  a small  island  in  the  middle  of  the  river,  we  met 
with  a place  on  the  left  side,  where  we  procured  plenty  of 
light  wood  and  pitch  pine.  This  extraordinary  range  of 
rocks  we  called  the  Gates  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.” 

Some  of  Captain  Clark’s  men,  engaged  in  hunting,  gave 
the  alarm  to  roving  bands  of  Shoshonee  Indians,  hunting 
in  that  vicinity.  The  noise  of  their  guns  attracted  the 
attention  of  the  Indians,  who,  having  set  fire  to  the  grass 
as  a warning  to  their  comrades,  fled  to  the  mountains. 
The  whole  country  soon  appeared  to  have  taken  fright, 
and  great  clouds  of  smoke  were  observed  in  all  directions. 
Falling  into  an  old  Indian  trail,  Captain  Clark  waited,  with 
his  weary  and  footsore  men,  for  the  rest  of  the  party  to 
come  up  with  them. 

The  explorers  had  now  passed  south,  between  the  Big 
Belt  range  of  mountains  on  the  east  and  the  main  chain 
of  the  Rocky  Mountains  on  the  west.  Meagher  County, 
Montana,  now  lies  on  the  east  of  their  trail,  and  on  the 
west  side  of  that  route  is  the  county  of  Lewis  and  Clark. 
They  were  now  — still  travelling  southward  — approaching 
the  ultimate  sources  of  the  great  Missouri.  The  journal 
says : — 

“ We  are  delighted  to  find  that  the  Indian  woman  recog- 
nizes the  country ; she  tells  us  that  to  this  creek  her  coun- 
trymen make  excursions  to  procure  white  paint  on  its 
banks,  and  we  therefore  call  it  Whiteearth  Creek.  She 


J34 


First  Across  the  Continent 


says  also  that  the  Three  Forks  of  the  Missouri  are  at  no 
great  distance  — a piece  of  intelligence  which  has  cheered 
the  spirits  of  us  all,  as  we  hope  soon  to  reach  the  head  of 
that  river.  This  is  the  warmest  day,  except  one,  we  have 
experienced  this  summer.  In  the  shade  the  mercury  stood 
at  eighty  degrees,  which  is  the  second  time  it  has  reached 
that  height  during  this  season.  We  camped  on  an  island, 
after  making  nineteen  and  three  quarters  miles. 

“ In  the  course  of  the  day  we  saw  many  geese,  cranes, 
small  birds  common  to  the  plains,  and  a few  pheasants. 
We  also  observed  a small  plover  or  curlew  of  a brown 
color,  about  the  size  of  a yellow-legged  plover  or  jack- 
curlew,  but  of  a different  species.  It  first  appeared  near 
the  mouth  of  Smith’s  River,  but  is  so  shy  and  vigilant  that 
we  were  unable  to  shoot  it.  Both  the  broad  and  narrow- 
leaved willow  continue,  though  the  sweet  willow  has  be- 
come very  scarce.  The  rosebush,  small  honeysuckle, 
pulpy-leaved  thorn,  southernwood,  sage,  box-elder,  narrow- 
leaved cottonwood,  redwood,  and  a species  of  sumach,  are 
all  abundant.  So,  too,  are  the  red  and  black  gooseberries, 
service-berry,  choke-cherry,  and  the  black,  yellow,  red,  and 
purple  currants,  which  last  seems  to  be  a favorite  food  of 
the  bear.  Before  camping  we  landed  and  took  on  board 
Captain  Clark,  with  the  meat  he  had  collected  during  this 
day’s  hunt,  which  consisted  of  one  deer  and  an  elk;  we 
had,  ourselves,  shot  a deer  and  an  antelope.” 

The  party  found  quantities  of  wild  onions  of  good  flavor 
and  size.  They  also  observed  wild  flax,  garlic,  and  other 
vegetable  products  of  value.  The  journal  adds : — 

“We  saw  many  otter  and  beaver  to-day  [July  24th]. 
The  latter  seem  to  contribute  very  much  to  the  number 
of  islands,  and  the  widening  of  the  river.  They  begin  by 
damming  up  the  small  channels  of  about  twenty  yards  be- 


Beaver  Dams,  Smith’s  River 


In  the  Heart  of  the  Continent 


l35 


tween  the  islands : this  obliges  the  river  to  seek  another 
outlet,  and,  as  soon  as  this  is  effected,  the  channel  stopped 
by  the  beaver  becomes  filled  with  mud  and  sand.  The 
industrious  animal  is  then  driven  to  another  channel,  which 
soon  shares  the  same  fate,  till  the  river  spreads  on  all  sides, 
and  cuts  the  projecting  points  of  the  land  into  islands. 
We  killed  a deer,  and  saw  great  numbers  of  antelopes, 
cranes,  some  geese,  and  a few  red-headed  ducks.  The 
small  birds  of  the  plains  and  the  curlew  are  still  abundant : 
we  saw  a large  bear,  but  could  not  come  within  gunshot 
of  him.  There  are  numerous  tracks  of  the  elk,  but  none 
of  the  animals  themselves;  and,  from  the  appearance  of 
bones  and  old  excrement,  we  suppose  that  buffalo  some- 
times stray  into  the  valley,  though  we  have  as  yet  seen  no 
recent  sign  of  them.  Along  the  water  are  a number  of 
snakes,  some  of  a uniform  brown  color,  others  black,  and 
a third  speckled  on  the  abdomen,  and  striped  with  black 
and  a brownish  yellow  on  the  back  and  sides.  The  first, 
which  is  the  largest,  is  about  four  feet  long ; the  second  is 
of  the  kind  mentioned  yesterday ; and  the  third  resembles  in 
size  and  appearance  the  garter-snake  of  the  United  States. 
On  examining  the  teeth  of  all  these  several  kinds,  we 
found  them  free  from  poison : they  are  fond  of  the  water, 
in  which  they  take  shelter  on  being  pursued.  The  mos- 
quitoes, gnats,  and  prickly  pear,  our  three  persecutors,  still 
continue  with  us,  and,  joined  with  the  labor  of  working 
the  canoes,  have  fatigued  us  all  excessively.” 

On  Thursday,  July  25,  Captain  Clark,  who  was  in  the 
lead,  as  usual,  arrived  at  the  famous  Three  Forks  of  the 
Missouri.  The  stream  flowing  in  a generally  northeast- 
ern direction  was  the  true,  or  principal  Missouri,  and  was 
named  the  Jefferson.  The  middle  branch  was  named  the 
Madison,  in  honor  of  James  Madison,  then  Secretary  of 


136  First  Across  the  Continent 


State,  and  the  fork  next  to  the  eastward  received  the  name 
of  Albert  Gallatin,  then  Secretary  of  the  Treasury;  and 
by  these  titles  the  streams  are  known  to  this  day.  The 
explorers  had  now  passed  down  to  their  furthest  southern 
limit,  their  trail  being  to  the  eastward  of  the  modern  cities 
of  Helena  and  Butte,  and  separated  only  by  a narrow 
divide  (then  unknown  to  them)  from  the  sources  of  some 
of  the  streams  that  fall  into  the  Pacific  Ocean.  Under  the 
date  of  July  27,  the  journal  says : — 

“We  are  now  very  anxious  to  see  the  Snake  Indians. 
After  advancing  for  several  hundred  miles  into  this  wild 
and  mountainous  country,  we  may  soon  expect  that  the 
game  will  abandon  us.  With  no  information  of  the  route, 
we  may  be  unable  to  find  a passage  across  the  mountains 
when  we  reach  the  head  of  the  river  — at  least,  such  a pass 
as  will  lead  us  to  the  Columbia.  Even  are  we  so  fortunate 
as  to  find  a branch  of  that  river,  the  timber  which  we  have 
hitherto  seen  in  these  mountains  does  not  promise  us  any 
fit  to  make  canoes,  so  that  our  chief  dependence  is  on 
meeting  some  tribe  from  whom  we  may  procure  horses. 
Our  consolation  is  that  this  southwest  branch  can  scarcely 
head  with  any  other  river  than  the  Columbia ; and  that  if 
any  nation  of  Indians  can  live  in  the  mountains  we  are  able 
to  endure  as  much  as  they  can,  and  have  even  better  means 
of  procuring  subsistence.” 


Chapter  XII 

At  the  Sources  of  the  Missouri 

THE  explorers  were  now  (in  the  last  days  of  July, 
1805)  at  the  head  of  the  principal  sources  of  the 
great  Missouri  River,  in  the  fastnesses  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  at  the  base  of  the  narrow  divide  that  sepa- 
rates Idaho  from  Montana  in  its  southern  corner.  Just 
across  this  divide  are  the  springs  that  feed  streams  fall- 
ing into  the  majestic  Columbia  and  then  to  the  Pacific 
Ocean.  As  has  been  already  set  forth,  they  named  the 
Three  Forks  for  President  Jefferson  and  members  of  his 
cabinet.  These  names  still  survive,  although  Jefferson 
River  is  the  true  Missouri  and  not  a fork  of  that  stream. 
Upon  the  forks  of  the  Jefferson  Lewis  bestowed  the  titles 
of  Philosophy,  Wisdom,  and  Philanthropy,  each  of  these 
gifts  and  graces  being,  in  his  opinion,  “an  attribute  of 
that  illustrious  personage,  Thomas  Jefferson,”  then  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States.  But  alas  for  the  fleeting 
greatness  of  geographical  honor!  Philosophy  River  is 
now  known  as  Willow  Creek,  and  at  its  mouth,  a busy 
little  railroad  town,  is  Willow  City.  The  northwest 
fork  is  no  longer  Wisdom,  but  Big  Hole  River;  deep 
valleys  among  the  mountains  are  known  as  holes;  and 
the  stream  called  by  that  name,  once  Wisdom,  is  fol- 
lowed along  its  crooked  course  by  a railroad  that  con- 
nects Dillon,  Silver  Bow,  and  Butte  City,  Montana. 
Vulgarity  does  its  worst  for  Philanthropy;  its  modern 
name  on  the  map  is  Stinking  Water. 


First  Across  the  Continent 


138 


On  the  thirtieth  of  July,  the  party,  having  camped  long 
enough  to  unpack  and  dry  their  goods,  dress  their  deer- 
skins and  make  them  into  leggings  and  moccasins,  re- 
loaded their  canoes  and  began  the  toilsome  ascent  of  the 
Jefferson.  The  journal  makes  this  record:  — 

“ Sacajawea,  our  Indian  woman,  informs  us  that  we  are 
encamped  on  tha  precise  spot  where  her  countrymen,  the 
Snake  Indians,  had  their  huts  five  years  ago,  when  the 
Minnetarees  of  Knife  River  first  came  in  sight  of  them, 
and  from  whom  they  hastily  retreated  three  miles  up  the 
Jefferson,  and  concealed  themselves  in  the  woods.  The 
Minnetarees,  however,  pursued  and  attacked  them,  killed 
four  men,  as  many  women,  and  a number  of  boys;  and 
made  prisoners  of  four  other  boys  and  all  the  females,  of 
whom  Sacajawea  was  one.  She  does  not,  however,  show 
any  distress  at  these  recollections,  nor  any  joy  at  the 
prospect  of  being  restored  to  her  country ; for  she  seems 
to  possess  the  folly,  or  the  philosophy,  of  not  suffering 
her  feelings  to  extend  beyond  the  anxiety  of  having 
plenty  to  eat  and  a few  trinkets  to  wear. 

“This  morning  the  hunters  brought  in  some  fat  deer 
of  the  long-tailed  red  kind,  which  are  quite  as  large  as 
those  of  the  United  States,  and  are,  indeed,  the  only 
kind  we  have  found  at  this  place.  There  are  numbers  of 
the  sand-hill  cranes  feeding  in  the  meadows : we  caught 
a young  one  of  the  same  color  as  the  red  deer,  which, 
though  it  had  nearly  attained  its  full  growth,  could  not 
fly;  it  is  very  fierce,  and  strikes  a severe  blow  with  its 
beak.  . . . 

“Captain  Lewis  proceeded  after  dinner  through  an 
extensive  low  ground  of  timber  and  meadow-land  inter- 
mixed ; but  the  bayous  were  so  obstructed  by  beaver-dams 
that,  in  order  to  avoid  them,  he  directed  his  course 


At  the  Sources  of  the  Missouri 


1 39 


toward  the  high  plain  on  the  right.  This  he  gained  with 
some  difficulty,  after  wading  up  to  his  waist  through  the 
mud  and  water  of  a number  of  beaver-dams.  When  he 
desired  to  rejoin  the  canoes  he  found  the  underbrush  so 
thick,  and  the  river  so  crooked,  that  this,  joined  to  the 
difficulty  of  passing  the  beaver-dams,  induced  him  to  go 
on  and  endeavor  to  intercept  the  river  at  some  point 
where  it  might  be  more  collected  into  one  channel,  and 
approach  nearer  the  high  plain.  He  arrived  at  the  bank 
about  sunset,  having  gone  only  six  miles  in  a direct 
course  from  the  canoes ; but  he  saw  no  traces  of  the  men, 
nor  did  he  receive  any  answer  to  his  shouts  and  the  firing 
of  his  gun.  It  was  now  nearly  dark;  a duck  lighted  near 
him,  and  he  shot  it.  He  then  went  on  the  head  of  a small 
island,  where  he  found  some  driftwood,  which  enabled 
him  to  cook  his  duck  for  supper,  and  laid  down  to  sleep 
on  some  willow-brush.  The  night  was  cool,  but  the 
driftwood  gave  him  a good  fire,  and  he  suffered  no  incon- 
venience, except  from  the  mosquitoes.” 

The  easy  indifference  to  discomfort  with  which  these 
well-seasoned  pioneers  took  their  hardships  must  needs 
impress  the  reader.  It  was  a common  thing  for  men,  or 
for  a solitary  man,  to  be  caught  out  of  camp  by  nightfall 
and  compelled  to  bivouac,  like  Captain  Lewis,  in  the 
underbrush,  or  the  prairie-grass.  As  they  pressed  on, 
game  began  to  fail  them.  Under  date  of  July  31,  they 
remark  that  the  only  game  seen  that  day  was  one  big- 
horn, a few  antelopes,  deer,  and  a brown  bear,  all  of 
which  escaped  them.  “Nothing  was  killed  to-day,”  it  is 
recorded,  “nor  have  we  had  any  fresh  meat  except  one 
beaver  for  the  last  two  days ; so  that  we  are  now  reduced 
to  an  unusual  situation,  for  we  have  hitherto  always  had 
a great  abundance  of  flesh.”  Indeed,  one  reason  for  this 


140 


First  Across  the  Continent 


is  found  in  Captain  Lewis’s  remark:  “When  we  have 
plenty  of  fresh  meat,  I find  it  impossible  to  make  the 
men  take  any  care  of  it,  or  use  it  with  the  least  frugality, 
though  I expect  that  necessity  will  shortly  teach  them 
this  art.”  We  shall  see,  later  on,  that  the  men,  who 
were  really  as  improvident  of  food  as  the  Indians,  had 
hard  lessons  from  necessity. 

Anxious  to  reach  the  Indians,  who  were  believed  to  be 
somewhere  ahead  of  them,  Captain  Lewis  and  three  men 
went  on  up  the  Jefferson,  Captain  Clark  and  his  party 
following  with  the  canoes  and  luggage  in  a more  leisurely 
manner.  The  advance  party  were  so  fortunate  as  to  over- 
take a herd  of  elk,  two  of  which  they  killed;  what  they 
did  not  eat  they  left  secured  for  the  other  party  with  the 
canoes.  Clark’s  men  also  had  good  luck  in  hunting,  for 
they  killed  five  deer  and  one  bighorn.  Neither  party 
found  fresh  tracks  of  Indians,  and  they  were  greatly  dis- 
couraged thereat.  The  journal  speaks  of  a beautiful 
valley,  from  six  to  eight  miles  wide,  where  they  saw 
ancient  traces  of  buffalo  occupation,  but  no  buffalo. 
These  animals  had  now  completely  disappeared;  they 
were  seldom  seen  in  those  mountains.  The  journal  says 
of  Lewis : — 

“He  saw  an  abundance  of  deer  and  antelope,  and  many 
tracks  of  elk  and  bear.  Having  killed  two  deer,  they 
feasted  sumptuously,  with  a dessert  of  currants  of  differ- 
ent colors  — two  species  red,  others  yellow,  deep  purple, 
and  black;  to  these  were  added  black  gooseberries  and 
deep  purple  service-berries,  somewhat  larger  than  ours, 
from  which  they  differ  also  in  color,  size,  and  the  supe- 
rior excellence  of  their  flavor.  In  the  low  grounds  of  the 
river  were  many  beaver-dams  formed  of  willow-brush, 
mud,  and  gravel,  so  closely  interwoven  that  they  resist 


At  the  Sources  of  the  Missouri 


141 


the  water  perfectly;  some  of  them  were  five  feet  high,  and 
caused  the  river  to  overflow  several  acres  of  land.” 

Meanwhile,  the  party  with  the  canoes  were  having  a 
fatiguing  time  as  they  toiled  up  the  river.  On  the  fourth 
of  August,  after  they  had  made  only  fifteen  miles,  the 
journal  has  this  entry  : — 

“ The  river  is  still  rapid,  and  the  water,  though  clear, 
is  very  much  obstructed  by  shoals  or  ripples  at  every  two 
hundred  or  three  hundred  yards.  At  all  these  places  we 
are  obliged  to  drag  the  canoes  over  the  stones,  as  there  is 
not  a sufficient  depth  of  water  to  float  them,  and  in  the 
other  parts  the  current  obliges  us  to  have  recourse  to 
the  cord.  But  as  the  brushwood  on  the  banks  will  not 
permit  us  to  walk  on  shore,  we  are  under  the  necessity 
of  wading  through  the  river  as  we  drag  the  boats.  This 
soon  makes  our  feet  tender,  and  sometimes  occasions 
severe  falls  over  the  slippery  stones ; and  the  men,  by 
being  constantly  wet,  are  becoming  more  feeble.  In  the 
course  of  the  day  the  hunters  killed  two  deer,  some  geese 
and  ducks,  and  the  party  saw  some  antelopes,  cranes, 
beaver,  and  otter.  ” 

Captain  Lewis  had  left  a note  for  Captain  Clark  at  the 
forks  of  the  Jefferson  and  Wisdom  rivers.  Clark’s  jour- 
nal says : — 

“We  arrived  at  the  forks  about  four  o’clock,  but,  un- 
luckily, Captain  Lewis’s  note  had  been  attached  to  a 
green  pole,  which  the  beaver  had  cut  down,  and  carried 
off  with  the  note  on  it:  an  accident  which  deprived  us  of 
all  information  as  to  the  character  of  the  two  branches  of 
the  river.  Observing,  therefore,  that  the  northwest  fork 
was  most  in  our  direction,  we  ascended  it.  We  found  it 
extremely  rapid,  and  its  waters  were  scattered  in  such  a 
manner  that  for  a quarter  of  a mile  we  were  forced  to  cut 


142 


First  Across  the  Continent 


a passage  through  the  willow-brush  that  leaned  over  the 
little  channels  and  united  at  the  top.  After  going  up  it 
for  a mile,  we  encamped  on  an  island  which  had  been 
overflowed,  and  was  still  so  wet  that  we  were  compelled 
to  make  beds  of  brush  to  keep  ourselves  out  of  the  mud. 
Our  provision  consisted  of  two  deer  which  had  been 
killed  in  the  morning.” 

It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  this  river,  up  which 
the  party  were  making  their  way,  was  the  Wisdom  (now 
Big  Hole),  and  was  the  northwest  fork  of  the  Jefferson, 
flowing  from  southeast  to  northwest;  and  near  the  point 
where  it  enters  the  Jefferson,  it  has  a loop  toward  the 
northeast;  that  is  to  say,  it  comes  from  the  southwest  to 
a person  looking  up  its  mouth. 

After  going  up  the  Wisdom  River,  Clark’s  party  were 
overtaken  by  Drewyer,  Lewis’s  hunter,  who  had  been 
sent  across  between  the  forks  to  notify  Clark  that  Lewis 
regarded  the  other  fork  — the  main  Jefferson  — as  the 
right  course  to  take.  The  party,  accordingly,  turned 
about  and  began  to  descend  the  stream,  in  order  to 
ascend  the  Jefferson.  The  journal  says:  — 

“ On  going  down,  one  of  the  canoes  upset  and  two 
others  filled  with  water,  by  which  all  the  baggage  was 
wet  and  several  articles  were  irrecoverably  lost.  As  one 
of  them  swung  round  in  a rapid  current,  Whitehouse  was 
thrown  out  of  her;  while  down,  the  canoe  passed  over 
him,  and  had  the  water  been  two  inches  shallower  would 
have  crushed  him  to  pieces ; but  he  escaped  with  a severe 
bruise  of  his  leg.  In  order  to  repair  these  misfortunes 
we  hastened  [down]  to  the  forks,  where  we  were  joined 
by  Captain  Lewis.  We  then  passed  over  to  the  left 
[east]  side,  opposite  the  entrance  of  the  rapid  fork,  and 


At  the  Sources  of  the  Missouri 


H3 


camped  on  a large  gravelly  bar,  near  which  there  was 
plenty  of  wood.  Here  we  opened,  and  exposed  to  dry, 
all  the  articles  which  had  suffered  from  the  water ; none 
of  them  were  completely  spoiled  except  a small  keg  of 
powder;  the  rest  of  the  powder,  which  was  distributed 
in  the  different  canoes,  was  quite  safe,  although  it  had 
been  under  the  water  for  upward  of  an  hour.  The  air  is 
indeed  so  pure  and  dry  that  any  wood-work  immediately 
shrinks,  unless  it  is  kept  filled  with  water;  but  we  had 
placed  our  powder  in  small  canisters  of  lead,  each  con- 
taining powder  enough  for  the  canister  when  melted  into 
bullets,  and  secured  with  cork  and  wax,  which  answered 
our  purpose  perfectly. 

“ In  the  evening  we  killed  three  deer  and  four  elk, 
which  furnished  us  once  more  with  a plentiful  supply  of 
meat.  Shannon,  the  same  man  who  had  been  lost  for 
fifteen  days  [August  28  to  Sept.  11,  1804],  was  sent 
out  this  morning  to  hunt,  up  the  northwest  fork.  When 
we  decided  on  returning,  Drewyer  was  directed  to  go  in 
quest  of  him,  but  he  returned  with  information  that  he 
had  gone  several  miles  up  the  [Wisdom]  river  without 
being  able  to  find  Shannon.  We  now  had  the  trumpet 
sounded,  and  fired  several  guns;  but  he  did  not  return, 
and  we  fear  he  is  again  lost.” 

This  man,  although  an  expert  hunter,  had  an  unlucky 
habit  of  losing  himself  in  the  wilderness,  as  many  another 
good  man  has  lost  himself  among  the  mountains  or  the 
great  plains.  This  time,  however,  he  came  into  camp 
again,  after  being  lost  three  days. 

On  the  eighth  of  August  the  party  reached  a point  now 
known  by  its  famous  landmark,  Beaver  Head,  a remark- 
able rocky  formation  which  gives  its  name  to  Beaver- 


144 


First  Across  the  Continent 


head  County,  Montana.  The  Indian  woman,  Sacajawea, 
recognized  the  so-called  beaver-head,  which,  she  said, 
was  not  far  from  the  summer  retreat  of  her  countrymen, 
living  on  the  other  side  of  the  mountains.  The  whole 
party  were  now  together  again,  the  men  with  the  canoes 
having  come  up;  and  the  journal  says:  — 

“ Persuaded  of  the  absolute  necessity  of  procuring 
horses  to  cross  the  mountains,  it  was  determined  that 
one  of  us  should  proceed  in  the  morning  to  the  head  of 
the  river,  and  penetrate  the  mountains  till  he  found  the 
Shoshonees  or  some  other  nation  who  can  assist  us  in 
transporting  our  baggage,  the  greater  part  of  which  we 
shall  be  compelled  to  leave  without  the  aid  of  horses.”  . . . 

Early  the  next  day  Captain  Lewis  took  Drewyer, 
Shields,  and  M’Neal,  and,  slinging  their  knapsacks, 
they  set  out  with  a resolution  to  meet  some  nation  of 
Indians  before  they  returned,  however  long  they  might 
be  separated  from  the  party. 

The  party  in  the  canoes  continued  to  ascend  the 
river,  which  was  so  crooked  that  they  advanced  but  four 
miles  in  a direct  line  from  their  starting-place  in  a dis- 
tance of  eleven  miles.  In  this  manner,  the  party  on 
foot  leading  those  with  the  canoes,  they  repeatedly  ex- 
plored the  various  forks  of  the  streams,  which  baffled 
them  by  their  turnings  and  windings.  Lewis  was  in 
the  advance,  and  Clark  brought  up  the  rear  with  the 
main  body.  It  was  found  necessary  for  the  leading 
party  to  wade  the  streams,  and  occasionally  they  were 
compelled  by  the  roughness  of  the  way  to  leave  the 
water-course  and  take  to  the  hills,  where  great  vigilance 
was  required  to  keep  them  in  sight  of  the  general  direc- 
tion in  which  they  must  travel.  On  the  nth  of  August, 
1805,  Captain  Lewis  came  in  sight  of  the  first  Indian  en- 


At  the  Sources  of  the  Missouri 


H5 


countered  since  leaving  the  country  of  the  Minnetarees, 
far  back  on  the  Missouri.  The  journal  of  that  date  says : 

“On  examining  him  with  the  glass  Captain  Lewis  saw 
that  he  was  of  a different  nation  from  any  Indians  we  had 
hitherto  met.  He  was  armed  with  a bow  and  a quiver 
of  arrows,  and  mounted  on  an  elegant  horse  without  a 
saddle;  a small  string  attached  to  the  under  jaw  answered 
as  a bridle. 

“ Convinced  that  he  was  a Shoshonee,  and  knowing 
how  much  our  success  depended  on  the  friendly  offices 
of  that  nation,  Captain  Lewis  was  full  of  anxiety  to  ap- 
proach without  alarming  him,  and  endeavor  to  convince 
him  that  he  [Lewis]  was  a white  man.  He  therefore 
proceeded  toward  the  Indian  at  his  usual  pace.  When 
they  were  within  a mile  of  each  other  the  Indian  sud- 
denly stopped.  Captain  Lewis  immediately  followed  his 
example,  took  his  blanket  from  his  knapsack,  and,  hold- 
ing it  with  both  hands  at  the  two  corners,  threw  it  above 
his  head,  and  unfolded  it  as  he  brought  it  to  the  ground, 
as  if  in  the  act  of  spreading  it.  This  signal,  which 
originates  in  the  practice  of  spreading  a robe  or  skin  as 
a seat  for  guests  to  whom  they  wish  to  show  a distin- 
guished kindness,  is  the  universal  sign  of  friendship 
among  the  Indians  on  the  Missouri  and  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains. As  usual,  Captain  Lewis  repeated  this  signal 
three  times:  still  the  Indian  kept  his  position,  and  looked 
with  an  air  of  suspicion  on  Drewyer  and  Shields,  who 
were  now  advancing  on  each  side.  Captain  Lewis  was 
afraid  to  make  any  signal  for  them  to  halt,  lest  he  should 
increase  the  distrust  of  the  Indian,  who  began  to  be 
uneasy,  and  they  were  too  distant  to  hear  his  voice.  He 
therefore  took  from  his  pack  some  beads,  a looking-glass, 
and  a few  trinkets,  which  he  had  brought  for  the  purpose, 

IO 


146 


First  Across  the  Continent 


and,  leaving  his  gun,  advanced  unarmed  towards  the 
Indian.  He  remained  in  the  same  position  till  Captain 
Lewis  came  within  two  hundred  yards  of  him,  when  he 
turned  his  horse  and  began  to  move  off  slowly.  Captain 
Lewis  then  called  out  to  him  in  as  loud  a voice  as  he 
could,  repeating  the  words  tabba  bone , which  in  the 
Shoshonee  language  mean  white  man.  But,  looking  over 
his  shoulder,  the  Indian  kept  his  eyes  on  Drewyer  and 
Shields,  who  were  still  advancing,  without  recollecting 
the  impropriety  of  doing  so  at  such  a moment,  till  Cap- 
tain Lewis  made  a signal  to  them  to  halt : this  Drewyer 
obeyed,  but  Shields  did  not  observe  it,  and  still  went  for- 
ward. Seeing  Drewyer  halt,  the  Indian  turned  his  horse 
about  as  if  to  wait  for  Captain  Lewis,  who  now  reached 
within  one  hundred  and  fifty  paces,  repeating  the  words 
tabba  bone , and  holding  up  the  trinkets  in  his  hand,  at 
the  same  time  stripping  up  the  sleeve  of  his  shirt  to  show 
the  color  of  his  skin.  The  Indian  suffered  him  to  ad- 
vance within  one  hundred  paces,  then  suddenly  turned  his 
horse,  and,  giving  him  the  whip,  leaped  across  the  creek, 
and  disappeared  in  an  instant  among  the  willow  bushes : 
with  him  vanished  all  the  hopes  which  the  sight  of  him  had 
inspired,  of  a friendly  introduction  to  his  countrymen.” 
Sadly  disappointed  by  the  clumsy  imprudence  of  his 
men,  Captain  Lewis  now  endeavored  to  follow  the  track 
of  the  retreating  Indian,  hoping  that  this  might  lead 
them  to  an  encampment,  or  village,  of  the  Shoshonees. 
He  also  built  a fire,  the  smoke  of  which  might  attract  the 
attention  of  the  Indians.  At  the  same  time,  he  placed 
on  a pole  near  the  fire  a small  assortment  of  beads, 
trinkets,  awls,  and  paints,  in  order  that  the  Indians,  if 
they  returned  that  way,  might  discover  them  and  be 
thereby  assured  the  strangers  were  white  men  and  friends. 


Shoshonee  Implements 


At  the  Sources  of  the  Missouri 


T47 


Next  morning,  while  trying  to  follow  the  trail  of  the 
lone  Indian,  they  found  traces  of  freshly  turned  earth 
where  people  had  been  digging  for  roots;  and,  later  on, 
they  came  upon  the  fresh  track  of  eight  or  ten  horses. 
But  these  were  soon  scattered,  and  the  explorers  only 
found  that  the  general  direction  of  the  trails  was  up  into 
the  mountains  which  define  the  boundary  between  Mon- 
tana and  Idaho.  Skirting  the  base  of  these  mountains 
(the  Bitter  Root),  the  party  endeavored  to  find  a plain 
trail,  or  Indian  road,  leading  up  to  a practicable  pass. 
Travelling  in  a southwesterly  direction  along  the  main 
stream,  they  entered  a valley  which  led  into  the  moun- 
tains. Here  they  ate  their  last  bit  of  fresh  meat,  the 
remainder  of  a deer  they  had  killed  a day  or  two  before; 
they  reserved  for  their  final  resort,  in  case  of  famine,  a 
small  piece  of  salt  pork.  The  journal  says : — • 

“ They  then  continued  through  the  low  bottom,  along 
the  main  stream,  near  the  foot  of  the  mountains  on  their 
right.  For  the  first  five  miles,  the  valley  continues 
toward  the  southwest,  being  from  two  to  three  miles  in 
width;  then  the  main  stream,  which  had  received  two 
small  branches  from  the  left  in  the  valley,  turned  abruptly 
to  the  west  through  a narrow  bottom  between  the  moun- 
tains. The  road  was  still  plain,  and,  as  it  led  them 
directly  on  toward  the  mountain,  the  stream  gradually 
became  smaller,  till,  after  going  two  miles,  it  had  so 
greatly  diminished  in  width  that  one  of  the  men,  in  a fit 
of  enthusiasm,  with  one  foot  on  each  side  of  the  river, 
thanked  God  that  he  had  lived  to  bestride  the  Missouri. 
As  they  went  along  their  hopes  of  soon  seeing  the 
Columbia  [that  is,  the  Pacific  watershed]  arose  almost  to 
painful  anxiety,  when  after  four  miles  from  the  last 
abrupt  turn  of  the  river  [which  turn  had  been  to  the 


148 


First  Across  the  Continent 


west],  they  reached  a small  gap  formed  by  the  high 
mountains,  which  recede  on  each  side,  leaving  room  for 
the  Indian  road.  From  the  foot  of  one  of  the  lowest  of 
these  mountains,  which  rises  with  a gentle  ascent  of  about 
half  a mile,  issues  the  remotest  water  of  the  Missouri. 

“They  had  now  reached  the  hidden  sources  of  that 
river,  which  had  never  yet  been  seen  by  civilized  man. 
As  they  quenched  their  thirst  at  the  chaste  and  icy  foun- 
tain— as  they  sat  down  by  the  brink  of  that  little  rivulet, 
which  yielded  its  distant  and  modest  tribute  to  the 
parent  ocean  — they  felt  themselves  rewarded  for  all 
their  labors  and  all  their  difficulties. 

“They  left  reluctantly  this  interesting  spot,  and,  pursu- 
ing the  Indian  road  through  the  interval  of  the  hills, 
arrived  at  the  top  of  a ridge,  from  which  they  saw  high 
mountains,  partially  covered  with  snow,  still  to  the  west 
of  them. 

“The  ridge  on  which  they  stood  formed  the  dividing 
line  between  the  waters  of  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific 
Oceans.  They  followed  a descent  much  steeper  than 
that  on  the  eastern  side,  and  at  the  distance  of  three- 
quarters  of  a mile  reached  a handsome,  bold  creek  of 
cold,  clear  water  running  to  the  westward.  They  stopped 
to  taste,  for  the  first  time,  the  waters  of  the  Columbia; 
and,  after  a few  minutes,  followed  the  road  across  steep 
hills  and  low  hollows,  when  they  came  to  a spring  on  the 
side  of  a mountain.  Here  they  found  a sufficient  quan- 
tity of  dry  willow-brush  for  fuel,  and  therefore  halted  for 
the  night;  and,  having  killed  nothing  in  the  course  of 
the  day,  supped  on  their  last  piece  of  pork,  and  trusted 
to  fortune  for  some  other  food  to  mix  with  a little  flour 
and  parched  meal,  which  was  all  that  now  remained  of 
their  provisions.” 


Chapter  XIII 

From  the  Minnetarees  to  the  Shoshonees 

TRAVELLING  in  a westerly  direction,  with  a very 
gradual  descent,  Captain  Lewis,  on  the  thirteenth 
of  August,  came  upon  two  Indian  women,  a man,  and  some 
dogs.  The  Indians  sat  down  when  the  strangers  first 
came  in  sight,  as  if  to  wait  for  their  coming;  but,  soon 
taking  alarm,  they  all  fled,  much  to  the  chagrin  of  the 
white  men.  Now  striking  into  a well-worn  Indian  road, 
they  found  themselves  surely  near  a village.  The  journal 
says : — 

“They  had  not  gone  along  the  road  more  than  a mile, 
when  on  a sudden  they  saw  three  female  Indians,  from 
whom  they  had  been  concealed  by  the  deep  ravines  which 
intersected  the  road,  till  they  were  now  within  thirty 
paces  of  each  other.  One  of  them,  a young  woman, 
immediately  took  to  flight;  the  other  two,  an  elderly 
woman  and  a little  girl,  seeing  they  were  too  near  for 
them  to  escape,  sat  on  the  ground,  and  holding  down 
their  heads  seemed  as  if  reconciled  to  the  death  which 
they  supposed  awaited  them.  The  same  habit  of  holding 
down  the  head  and  inviting  the  enemy  to  strike,  when 
all  chance  of  escape  is  gone,  is  preserved  in  Egypt  to 
this  day. 

“ Captain  Lewis  instantly  put  down  his  rifle,  and  advanc- 
ing toward  them,  took  the  woman  by  the  hand,  raised  her 
up,  and  repeated  the  words  ‘ tabba  bone ! ' at  the  same 


15° 


First  Across  the  Continent 


time  stripping  up  his  shirt-sleeve  to  prove  that  he  was  a 
white  man  — for  his  hands  and  face  had  become  by  con- 
stant exposure  quite  as  dark  as  their  own.  She  appeared 
immediately  relieved  from  her  alarm ; and  Drewyer  and 
Shields  now  coming  up,  Captain  Lewis  gave  them  some 
beads,  a few  awls,  pewter  mirrors,  and  a little  paint,  and 
told  Drewyer  to  request  the  woman  to  recall  her  com- 
panion, who  had  escaped  to  some  distance  and,  by  alarm- 
ing the  Indians,  might  cause  them  to  attack  him  without 
any  time  for  explanation.  She  did  as  she  was  desired, 
and  the  young  woman  returned  almost  out  of  breath. 
Captain  Lewis  gave  her  an  equal  portion  of  trinkets, 
and  painted  the  tawny  cheeks  of  all  three  of  them  with 
vermilion, — a ceremony  which  among  the  Shoshonees 
is  emblematic  of  peace. 

“ After  they  had  become  composed,  he  informed  them 
by  signs  of  his  wishes  to  go  to  their  camp,  in  order  to  see 
their  chiefs  and  warriors ; they  readily  obeyed,  and  con- 
ducted the  party  along  the  same  road  down  the  river.  In 
this  way  they  marched  two  miles,  when  they  met  a troop 
of  nearly  sixty  warriors,  mounted  on  excellent  horses, 
riding  at  full  speed  toward  them.  As  they  advanced 
Captain  Lewis  put  down  his  gun,  and  went  with  the  flag 
about  fifty  paces  in  advance.  The  chief,  who  with  two 
men  was  riding  in  front  of  the  main  body,  spoke  to  the 
women,  who  now  explained  that  the  party  was  composed 
of  white  men,  and  showed  exultingly  the  presents  they 
had  received.  The  three  men  immediately  leaped  from 
their  horses,  came  up  to  Captain  Lewis,  and  embraced 
him  with  great  cordiality,  putting  their  left  arm  over  his 
right  shoulder,  and  clasping  his  back,  applying  at  the 
same  time  their  left  cheek  to  his,  and  frequently  vocif- 
erating ah  hi  e / ah  hi  e ! ‘I  am  much  pleased,  I am 


From  the  Minnetarees  to  the  Shoshonees  1 5 1 


much  rejoiced.’  The  whole  body  of  warriors  now  came 
forward,  and  our  men  received  the  caresses,  and  no  small 
share  of  the  grease  and  paint,  of  their  new  friends.  After 
this  fraternal  embrace,  of  which  the  motive  was  much 
more  agreeable  than  the  manner,  Captain  Lewis  lighted 
a pipe,  and  offered  it  to  the  Indians,  who  had  now  seated 
themselves  in  a circle  around  the  party.  But,  before 
they  would  receive  this  mark  of  friendship,  they  pulled 
off  their  moccasins : a custom,  as  we  afterward  learned, 
which  indicates  the  sacred  sincerity  of  their  professions 
when  they  smoke  with  a stranger,  and  which  imprecates 
on  themselves  the  misery  of  going  barefoot  forever  if 
they  prove  faithless  to  their  words  — a penalty  by  no 
means  light  for  those  who  rove  over  the  thorny  plains  of 
this  country.  . . . 

“After  smoking  a few  pipes,  some  trifling  presents 
were  distributed  among  them,  with  which  they  seemed 
very  much  pleased,  particularly  with  the  blue  beads  and 
the  vermilion.  Captain  Lewis  then  stated  to  the  chief 
that  the  object  of  his  visit  was  friendly,  and  should  be 
explained  as  soon  as  he  reached  their  camp ; and  that,  as 
the  sun  was  oppressive,  and  no  water  near,  he  wished  to 
go  there  as  soon  as  possible.  They  now  put  on  their 
moccasins,  and  their  chief,  whose  name  was  Cameahwait, 
made  a short  speech  to  the  warriors.  Captain  Lewis 
then  gave  him  the  flag,  which  he  informed  him  was 
among  white  men  the  emblem  of  peace;  and,  now  that 
he  had  received  it,  was  to  be  in  future  the  bond  of  union 
between  them.  The  chief  then  moved  on ; our  party  fol- 
lowed him ; and  the  rest  of  the  warriors,  in  a squadron, 
brought  up  the  rear.” 

Arriving  at  the  village,  the  ceremony  of  smoking  the 
pipe  of  peace  was  solemnly  observed;  and  the  women 


152 


First  Across  the  Continent 


and  children  of  the  tribe  were  permitted  to  gaze  with 
wonder  on  the  first  white  men  they  had  ever  seen.  The 
Indians  were  not  much  better  provided  with  food  than 
were  their  half-famished  visitors.  But  some  cakes  made 
of  service-berries  and  choke-berries  dried  in  the  sun  were 
presented  to  the  white  men  “on  which,”  says  Captain 
Lewis,  “we  made  a hearty  meal.”  Later  in  the  day, 
however,  an  Indian  invited  Captain  Lewis  into  his  wig- 
wam and  treated  him  to  a small  morsel  of  boiled  antelope 
and  a piece  of  fresh  salmon  roasted.  This  was  the  first 
salmon  he  had  seen,  and  the  captain  was  now  assured 
that  he  was  on  the  headwaters  of  the  Columbia.  This 
stream  was  what  is  now  known  as  the  Lemhi  River. 
The  water  was  clear  and  limpid,  flowing  down  a bed  of 
gravel ; its  general  direction  was  a little  north  of  west. 
The  journal  says:  — 

“The  chief  informed  him  that  this  stream  discharged, 
at  the  distance  of  half  a day’s  march,  into  another  [Salmon 
River]  of  twice  its  size,  coming  from  the  southwest ; but 
added,  on  further  inquiry,  that  there  was  scarcely  more 
timber  below  the  junction  of  those  rivers  than  in  this 
neighborhood,  and  that  the  river  was  rocky,  rapid,  and 
so  closely  confined  between  high  mountains  that  it  was 
impossible  to  pass  down  it  either  by  land  or  water  to  the 
great  lake  [Pacific  Ocean],  where,  as  he  had  understood, 
the  white  men  lived. 

“ This  information  was  far  from  being  satisfactory,  for 
there  was  no  timber  here  that  would  answer  the  purpose 
of  building  canoes,  — indeed  not  more  than  just  sufficient 
for  fuel ; and  even  that  consisted  of  the  narrow-leaved 
cottonwood,  the  red  and  the  narrow-leaved  willow,  choke- 
cherry,  service-berry,  and  a few  currant  bushes,  such  as 
are  common  on  the  Missouri.  The  prospect  of  going  on 


From  the  Minnetarees  to  the  Shoshonees  153 


by  land  is  more  pleasant,  for  there  are  great  numbers  of 
horses  feeding  in  every  direction  round  the  camp,  which 
will  enable  us  to  transport  our  stores,  if  necessary,  over 
the  mountains.” 

While  Captain  Lewis  was  thus  engaged,  his  compan- 
ions in  the  canoes  were  slowly  and  laboriously  ascending 
the  river  on  the  other  side  of  the  divide.  The  character 
of  the  stream  was  much  as  it  had  been  for  several  days, 
and  the  men  were  in  the  water  three-fourths  of  the  time, 
dragging  the  boats  over  the  shoals.  They  had  but  little 
success  in  killing  game,  but  caught,  as  they  had  done  for 
some  days  before,  numbers  of  fine  trout. 

“ August  14.  In  order  to  give  time  for  the  boats  to 
reach  the  forks  of  Jefferson  River,”  proceeds  the  narra- 
tive, “Captain  Lewis  determined  to  remain  where  he 
was,  and  obtain  all  the  information  he  could  collect  in 
regard  to  the  country.  Having  nothing  to  eat  but  a 
little  flour  and  parched  meal,  with  the  berries  of  the 
Indians,  he  sent  out  Drewyer  and  Shields,  who  borrowed 
horses  from  the  natives,  to  hunt  for  a few  hours.  About 
the  same  time  the  young  warriors  set  out  for  the  same 
purpose.  There  are  but  few  elk  or  black  tailed  deer  in 
this  neighborhood;  and  as  the  common  red  deer  secrete 
themselves  in  the  bushes  when  alarmed,  they  are  soon 
safe  from  the  arrows,  which  are  but  feeble  weapons 
against  any  animals  which  the  huntsmen  cannot  previ- 
ously run  down  with  their  horses.  The  chief  game  of 
the  Shoshonees,  therefore,  is  the  antelope,  which,  when 
pursued,  retreats  to  the  open  plains,  where  the  horses 
have  full  room  for  the  chase.  But  such  is  its  extraordi- 
nary fleetness  and  wind,  that  a single  horse  has  no  pos- 
sible chance  of  outrunning  it  or  tiring  it  down,  and  the 
hunters  are  therefore  obliged  to  resort  to  stratagem. 


1 54- 


First  Across  the  Continent 


“ About  twenty  Indians,  mounted  on  fine  horses,  and 
armed  with  bows  and  arrows,  left  the  camp.  In  a short 
time  they  descried  a herd  of  ten  antelope : they  imme- 
diately separated  into  little  squads  of  two  or  three,  and 
formed  a scattered  circle  round  the  herd  for  five  or  six 
miles,  keeping  at  a wary  distance,  so  as  not  to  alarm 
them  till  they  were  perfectly  enclosed,  and  selecting,  as 
far  as  possible,  some  commanding  eminence  as  a stand. 
Having  gained  their  positions,  a small  party  rode  towards 
the  animals,  and  with  wonderful  dexterity  the  huntsmen 
preserved  their  seats,  and  the  horses  their  footing,  as 
they  ran  at  full  speed  over  the  hills,  down  the  steep 
ravines,  and  along  the  borders  of  the  precipices.  They 
were  soon  outstripped  by  the  antelopes,  which,  on  gain- 
ing the  other  extremity  of  the  circle,  were  driven  back 
and  pursued  by  the  fresh  hunters.  They  turned  and 
flew,  rather  than  ran,  in  another  direction;  but  there, 
too,  they  found  new  enemies.  In  this  way  they  were 
alternately  pursued  backward  and  forward,  till  at  length, 
notwithstanding  the  skill  of  the  hunters,  they  all  escaped; 
and  the  party,  after  running  for  two  hours,  returned  with- 
out having  caught  anything,  and  their  horses  foaming 
with  sweat.  This  chase,  the  greater  part  of  which  was 
seen  from  the  camp,  formed  a beautiful  scene;  but  to  the 
hunters  it  is  exceedingly  laborious,  and  so  unproductive, 
even  when  they  are  able  to  worry  the  animal  down  and 
shoot  him,  that  forty  or  fifty  hunters  will  sometimes  be 
engaged  for  half  a day  without  obtaining  more  than  two 
or  three  antelope. 

“ Soon  after  they  returned,  our  two  huntsmen  came  in 
with  no  better  success.  Captain  Lewis  therefore  made  a 
little  paste  with  the  flour,  and  the  addition  of  some  berries 
formed  a very  palatable  repast.  Having  now  secured  the 


From  the  Minnetarees  to  the  Shoshonees  155 


good  will  of  Cameahwait,  Captain  Lewis  informed  him 
of  his  wish  that  he  would  speak  to  the  warriors,  and 
endeavor  to  engage  them  to  accompany  him  to  the  forks 
of  Jefferson  River;  where  by  this  time  another  chief 
[Clark],  with  a large  party  of  white  men,  was  awaiting 
his  [Lewis’]  return;  that  it  would  be  necessary  to  take 
about  thirty  horses  to  transport  the  merchandise;  that 
they  should  be  well  rewarded  for  their  trouble;  and  that, 
when  all  the  party  should  have  reached  the  Shoshonee 
camp,  they  would  remain  some  time  among  them  to  trade 
for  horses,  as  well  as  concert  plans  for  furnishing  them 
in  future  with  regular  supplies  of  merchandise.  He 
readily  consented  to  do  so,  and  after  collecting  the  tribe 
together,  he  made  a long  harangue.  In  about  an  hour 
and  a half  he  returned,  and  told  Captain  Lewis  that  they 
would  be  ready  to  accompany  him  in  the  morning.” 

But  the  Indians  were  suspicious  and  reluctant  to  take 
the  word  of  the  white  man.  Captain  Lewis,  almost  at 
his  wits’  end,  appealed  to  their  courage.  He  said  that 
if  they  were  afraid  of  being  led  into  a trap,  he  was  sure 
that  some  among  them  were  not  afraid. 

“To  doubt  the  courage  of  an  Indian  is  to  touch  the 
tenderest  string  of  his  mind,  and  the  surest  way  to  rouse 
him  to  any  dangerous  achievement.  Cameahwait  instantly 
replied  that  he  was  not  afraid  to  die,  and  mounting  his 
horse,  for  the  third  time  harangued  the  warriors.  He 
told  them  that  he  was  resolved  to  go  if  he  went  alone,  or 
if  he  were  sure  of  perishing;  that  he  hoped  there  were 
among  those  who  heard  him  some  who  were  not  afraid  to 
die,  and  who  would  prove  it  by  mounting  their  horses 
and  following  him.  This  harangue  produced  an  effect  on 
six  or  eight  only  of  the  warriors,  who  now  joined  their 
chief.  With  these  Captain  Lewis  smoked  a pipe;  and 


156  First  Across  the  Continent 


then,  fearful  of  some  change  in  their  capricious  temper, 
set  out  immediately.” 

The  party  now  retraced  the  steps  so  lately  taken  by 
Captain  Lewis  and  his  men.  On  the  second  day  out, 
one  of  the  spies  sent  forward  by  the  Indians  came  madly 
galloping  back,  much  to  the  alarm  of  the  white  men.  It 
proved,  however,  that  the  spy  had  returned  to  tell  his 
comrades  that  one  of  the  white  hunters  [Drewyer]  had 
killed  a deer.  An  Indian  riding  behind  Captain  Lewis, 
fearful  that  he  should  not  get  his  share  of  the  spoil, 
jumped  off  the  horse  and  ran  for  a mile  at  full  speed. 
The  journal  says:  — 

“ Captain  Lewis  slackened  his  pace,  and  followed  at  a 
sufficient  distance  to  observe  them.  When  they  reached 
the  place  where  Drewyer  had  thrown  out  the  intestines, 
they  all  dismounted  in  confusion  and  ran  tumbling  over 
each  other  like  famished  dogs.  Each  tore  away  what- 
ever part  he  could,  and  instantly  began  to  eat  it.  Some 
had  the  liver,  some  the  kidneys  — in  short,  no  part  on 
which  we  are  accustomed  to  look  with  disgust  escaped 
them.  One  of  them,  who  had  seized  about  nine  feet  of 
the  entrails,  was  chewing  at  one  end,  while  with  his 
hand  he  was  diligently  clearing  his  way  by  discharging 
the  contents  at  the  other.  It  was  indeed  impossible  to 
see  these  wretches  ravenously  feeding  on  the  filth  of  ani- 
mals, the  blood  streaming  from  their  mouths,  without 
deploring  how  nearly  the  condition  of  savages  approaches 
that  of  the  brute  creation.  Yet,  though  suffering  with 
hunger,  they  did  not  attempt,  as  they  might  have  done, 
to  take  by  force  the  whole  deer,  but  contented  them- 
selves with  what  had  been  thrown  away  by  the  hunter. 
Captain  Lewis  now  had  the  deer  skinned,  and  after 
reserving  a quarter  of  it  gave  the  rest  of  the  animal  to  the 


From  the  Minnetarees  to  the  Shoshonees  157 


chief,  to  be  divided  among  the  Indians,  who  immediately 
devoured  nearly  the  whole  of  it  without  cooking.  They 
now  went  toward  the  [Prairie]  creek,  where  there  was 
some  brushwood  to  make  a fire,  and  found  Drewyer,  who 
had  killed  a second  deer.  The  same  struggle  for  the 
entrails  was  renewed  here,  and  on  giving  nearly  the 
whole  deer  to  the  Indians,  they  devoured  it  even  to 
the  soft  part  of  the  hoofs.  A fire  being  made,  Captain 
Lewis  had  his  breakfast,  during  which  Drewyer  brought 
in  a third  deer.  This  too,  after  reserving  one-quarter, 
was  given  to  the  Indians,  who  now  seemed  completely 
satisfied  and  in  good  humor.” 

They  now  approached  the  forks  of  the  Jefferson,  where 
they  had  expected  to  meet  Clark  and  his  party  with  the 
canoes.  Not  seeing  any  signs  of  them,  the  Lewis  party 
were  placed  in  a critical  position.  The  Indians  were 
again  alarmed  and  suspicious.  Here  Captain  Clark’s 
journal  says: — 

“As  they  went  on  towards  the  point,  Captain  Lewis, 
perceiving  how  critical  his  situation  had  become,  re- 
solved to  attempt  a stratagem,  which  his  present  diffi- 
culty seemed  completely  to  justify.  Recollecting  the 
notes  he  had  left  at  the  point  for  us,  he  sent  Drewyer 
for  them  with  an  Indian,  who  witnessed  his  taking  them 
from  the  pole.  When  they  were  brought,  Captain  Lewis 
told  Cameahwait  that,  on  leaving  his  brother  chief  at  the 
place  where  the  river  issues  from  the  mountains,  it  was 
agreed  that  the  boats  should  not  be  brought  higher  than 
the  next  forks  we  should  meet;  but  that,  if  the  rapid 
water  prevented  the  boats  from  coming  on  as  fast  as  they 
expected,  his  brother  chief  was  to  send  a note  to  the  first 
forks  above  him,  to  let  him  know  where  they  were:  that 
this  note  had  been  left  this  morning  at  the  forks,  and 


First  Across  the  Continent 


158 


mentioned  that  the  canoes  were  just  below  the  moun- 
tains, and  coming  up  slowly  in  consequence  of  the  cur- 
rent. Captain  Lewis  added  that  he  would  stay  at  the 
forks  for  his  brother  chief,  but  would  send  a man  down 
the  river;  and  that  if  Cameahwait  doubted  what  he  said, 
one  of  their  young  men  could  go  with  him,  while  he  and 
the  other  two  remained  at  the  forks.  This  story  satis- 
fied the  chief  and  the  greater  part  of  the  Indians;  but 
a few  did  not  conceal  their  suspicions,  observing  that  we 
told  different  stories,  and  complaining  that  their  chief 
exposed  them  to  danger  by  a mistaken  confidence.  Cap- 
tain Lewis  now  wrote,  by  the  light  of  some  willow-brush, 
a note  to  Captain  Clark,  which  he  gave  to  Drewyer,  with 
an  order  to  use  all  possible  expedition  in  descending  the 
river,  and  engaged  an  Indian  to  accompany  him  by  the 
promise  of  a knife  and  some  beads. 

“ At  bedtime  the  chief  and  five  others  slept  round  the 
fire  of  Captain  Lewis,  and  the  rest  hid  themselves  in 
different  parts  of  the  willow-brush  to  avoid  the  enemy, 
who,  they  feared,  would  attack  them  in  the  night.  Cap- 
tain Lewis  endeavored  to  assume  a cheerfulness  he  did 
not  feel,  to  prevent  the  despondency  of  the  savages. 
After  conversing  gayly  with  them  he  retired  to  his 
mosquito-bier,  by  the  side  of  which  the  chief  now  placed 
himself.  He  lay  down,  yet  slept  but  little,  being  in  fact 
scarcely  less  uneasy  than  his  Indian  companions.  He 
was  apprehensive  that,  finding  the  ascent  of  the  river 
impracticable,  Captain  Clark  might  have  stopped  below 
Rattlesnake  bluff,  and  the  messenger  would  not  meet 
him.  The  consequence  of  disappointing  the  Indians  at 
this  moment  would  most  probably  be  that  they  would 
retire  and  secrete  themselves  in  the  mountains,  so  as 
to  prevent  our  having  an  opportunity  of  recovering  their 


From  the  Minnetarees  to  the  Shoshonees  159 


confidence.  They  would  also  spread  a panic  through  all 
the  neighboring  Indians,  and  cut  us  off  from  the  supply 
of  horses  so  useful  and  almost  so  essential  to  our  success. 
He  was  at  the  same  time  consoled  by  remembering  that 
his  hopes  of  assistance  rested  on  better  foundations  than 
their  generosity  — their  avarice  and  their  curiosity.  He 
had  promised  liberal  exchanges  for  their  horses ; but 
what  was  still  more  seductive,  he  had  told  them  that  one 
of  their  countrywomen,  who  had  been  taken  with  the 
Minnetarees,  accompanied  the  party  below;  and  one  of 
the  men  had  spread  the  report  of  our  having  with  us  a 
man  [York]  perfectly  black,  whose  hair  was  short  and 
curled.  This  last  account  had  excited  a great  degree  of 
curiosity,  and  they  seemed  more  desirous  of  seeing  this 
monster  than  of  obtaining  the  most  favorable  barter  for 
their  horses.” 

On  the  following  day,  August  17,  the  two  parties  of 
explorers  finally  met.  Under  that  date  the  journal  has 
this  interesting  entry:  — 

“ Captain  Lewis  rose  very  early  and  despatched  Drewyer 
and  the  Indian  down  the  river  in  quest  of  the  boats. 
Shields  was  sent  out  at  the  same  time  to  hunt,  while 
M’Neal  prepared  a breakfast  out  of  the  remainder  of  the 
meat.  Drewyer  had  been  gone  about  two  hours,  and  the 
Indians  were  all  anxiously  waiting  for  some  news,  when 
an  Indian,  who  had  straggled  a short  distance  down  the 
river,  returned  with  a report  that  he  had  seen  the  white 
men,  who  were  only  a short  distance  below,  and  were 
coming  on.  The  Indians  were  transported  with  joy,  and 
the  chief,  in  the  warmth  of  his  satisfaction,  renewed  his 
embrace  to  Captain  Lewis,  who  was  quite  as  much  de- 
lighted as  the  Indians  themselves.  The  report  proved 
most  agreeably  true. 


i6o 


First  Across  the  Continent 


“On  setting  out  at  seven  o’clock,  Captain  Clark,  with 
Chaboneau  and  his  wife,  walked  on  shore;  but  they  had 
not  gone  more  than  a mile  before  Captain  Clark  saw 
Sacajawea,  who  was  with  her  husband  one  hundred  yards 
ahead,  begin  to  dance  and  show  every  mark  of  the  most 
extravagant  joy,  turning  round  to  him  and  pointing  to 
several  Indians,  whom  he  now  saw  advancing  on  horseback, 
sucking  her  fingers  at  the  same  time,  to  indicate  that  they 
were  of  her  native  tribe.  As  they  advanced,  Captain 
Clark  discovered  among  them  Drewyer  dressed  like  an 
Indian,  from  whom  he  learned  the  situation  of  the  party. 
While  the  boats  were  performing  the  circuit,  he  went 
toward  the  forks  with  the  Indians,  who,  as  they  went 
along,  sang  aloud  with  the  greatest  appearance  of  delight. 

“We  soon  drew  near  the  camp,  and  just  as  we  ap- 
proached it  a woman  made  her  way  through  the  crowd 
toward  Sacajawea;  recognizing  each  other,  they  embraced 
with  the  most  tender  affection.  The  meeting  of  these 
two  young  women  had  in  it  something  peculiarly  touch- 
ing, not  only  from  the  ardent  manner  in  which  their 
feelings  were  expressed,  but  also  from  the  real  interest 
of  their  situation.  They  had  been  companions  in  child- 
hood; in  the  war  with  the  Minnetarees  they  had  both 
been  taken  prisoners  in  the  same  battle;  they  had  shared 
and  softened  the  rigors  of  their  captivity  till  one  of  them 
had  escaped  from  their  enemies  with  scarce  a hope  of 
ever  seeing  her  friend  rescued  from  their  hands. 

“While  Sacajawea  was  renewing  among  the  women  the 
friendships  of  former  days,  Captain  Clark  went  on,  and 
was  received  by  Captain  Lewis  and  the  chief,  who,  after 
the  first  embraces  and  salutations  were  over,  conducted 
him  to  a sort  of  circular  tent  or  shade  of  willows.  Here 
he  was  seated  on  a white  robe;  and  the  chief  immediately 


From  the  Minnetarees  to  the  Shoshonees  1 6 1 


tied  in  his  hair  six  small  shells  resembling  pearls,  an 
ornament  highly  valued  by  these  people,  who  procure 
them  in  the  course  of  trade  from  the  seacoast.  The 
moccasins  of  the  whole  party  were  then  taken  off,  and, 
after  much  ceremony,  the  smoking  began.  After  this 
the  conference  was  to  be  opened;  and,  glad  of  an  oppor- 
tunity of  being  able  to  converse  more  intelligibly,  Saca- 
jawea  was  sent  for:  she  came  into  the  tent,  sat  down, 
and  was  beginning  to  interpret,  when  in  the  person  of 
Cameahwait  she  recognized  her  brother.  She  instantly 
jumped  up,  and  ran  and  embraced  him,  throwing  over 
him  her  blanket,  and  weeping  profusely:  the  chief  was 
himself  moved,  though  not  in  the  same  degree.  After 
some  conversation  between  them  she  resumed  her  seat, 
and  attempted  to  interpret  for  us;  but  her  new  situation 
seemed  to  overpower  her,  and  she  was  frequently  inter- 
rupted by  her  tears.  After  the  council  was  finished,  the 
unfortunate  woman  learned  that  all  her  family  were  dead 
except  two  brothers,  one  of  whom  was  absent,  and  a son 
of  her  eldest  sister,  a small  boy,  who  was  immediately 
adopted  by  her.” 

The  two  parties,  Indian  and  white,  now  went  into  a 
conference,  the  white  chiefs  explaining  that  it  would  be 
needful  for  their  Indian  friends  to  collect  all  their  horses 
and  help  to  transport  the  goods  of  the  explorers  over  the 
Great  Divide.  The  journal  says:  — 

“The  speech  made  a favorable  impression.  The  chief, 
in  reply,  thanked  us  for  our  expressions  of  friendship 
toward  himself  and  his  nation,  and  declared  their  will- 
ingness to  render  us  every  service.  He  lamented  that 
it  would  be  so  long  before  they  should  be  supplied  with 
firearms,  but  that  till  then  they  could  subsist  as  they 
had  heretofore  done.  He  concluded  by  saying  that  there 

ii 


162 


First  Across  the  Continent 


were  not  horses  enough  here  to  transport  our  goods,  but 
that  he  would  return  to  the  village  to-morrow,  bring  all 
his  own  horses,  and  encourage  his  people  to  come  over 
with  theirs.  The  conference  being  ended  to  our  satis- 
faction, we  now  inquired  of  Cameahwait  what  chiefs  were 
among  the  party,  and  he  pointed  out  two  of  them.  We 
then  distributed  our  presents : to  Cameahwait  we  gave  a 
medal  of  small  size,  with  the  likeness  of  President  Jeffer- 
son, and  on  the  reverse  a figure  of  hands  clasped  with  a 
pipe  and  tomahawk;  to  this  was  added  an  uniform  coat, 
a shirt,  a pair  of  scarlet  leggings,  a carrot  [or  twist]  of 
tobacco,  and  some  small  articles.  Each  of  the  other 
chiefs  received  a small  medal  struck  during  the  presi- 
dency of  General  Washington,  a shirt,  handkerchief,  leg- 
gings, knife,  and  some  tobacco.  Medals  of  the  same  sort 
were  also  presented  to  two  young  warriors,  who,  though 
not  chiefs,  were  promising  youths  and  very  much  re- 
spected in  the  tribe.  These  honorary  gifts  were  followed 
by  presents  of  paint,  moccasins,  awls,  knives,  beads,  and 
looking-glasses.  We  also  gave  them  all  a plentiful  meal 
of  Indian  corn,  of  which  the  hull  is  taken  off  by  being 
boiled  in  lye;  as  this  was  the  first  they  had  ever  tasted, 
they  were  very  much  pleased  with  it.  They  had,  indeed, 
abundant  sources  of  surprise  in  all  they  saw  — the  ap- 
pearance of  the  men,  their  arms,  their  clothing,  the 
canoes,  the  strange  looks  of  the  negro,  and  the  sagacity 
of  our  dog,  all  in  turn  shared  their  admiration,  which 
was  raised  to  astonishment  by  a shot  from  the  air-gun. 
This  operation  was  instantly  considered  'great  medi- 
cine,’ by  which  they,  as  well  as  the  other  Indians,  mean 
something  emanating  directly  from  the  Great  Spirit, 
or  produced  by  his  invisible  and  incomprehensible 
agency.  . . . 


From  the  Minnetarees  to  the  Shoshonees  163 


“ After  the  council  was  over  we  consulted  as  to  our 
future  operations.  The  game  did  not  promise  to  last 
here  for  many  days ; and  this  circumstance  combined 
with  many  others  to  induce  our  going  on  as  soon  as  pos- 
sible. Our  Indian  information  as  to  the  state  of  the 
Columbia  was  of  a very  alarming  kind;  and  our  first 
object  was,  of  course,  to  ascertain  the  practicability  of 
descending  it,  of  which  the  Indians  discouraged  our 
expectations.  It  was  therefore  agreed  that  Captain  Clark 
should  set  off  in  the  morning  with  eleven  men,  fur- 
nished, besides  their  arms,  with  tools  for  making  canoes: 
that  he  should  take  Chaboneau  and  his  wife  to  the  camp 
of  the  Shoshonees,  where  he  was  to  leave  them,  in  order 
to  hasten  the  collection  of  horses ; that  he  should  then 
lead  his  men  down  to  the  Columbia,  and  if  he  found  it 
navigable,  and  the  timber  in  sufficient  quantity,  begin  to 
build  canoes.  As  soon  as  he  had  decided  as  to  the  pro- 
priety of  proceeding  down  the  Columbia  or  across  the 
mountains,  he  was  to  send  back  one  of  the  men  with 
information  of  it  to  Captain  Lewis,  who  by  that  time 
would  have  brought  up  the  whole  party,  and  the  rest  of 
the  baggage,  as  far  as  the  Shoshonee  village.  Prepara- 
tions were  accordingly  made  at  once  to  carry  out  the 
arrangement. 

“ In  order  to  relieve  the  men  of  Captain  Clark’s  party 
from  the  heavy  weight  of  their  arms,  provisions,  and 
tools,  we  exposed  a few  articles  to  barter  for  horses,  and 
soon  obtained  three  very  good  ones,  in  exchange  for 
which  we  gave  a uniform  coat,  a pair  of  leggings,  a few 
handkerchiefs,  three  knives,  and  some  other  small  arti- 
cles, the  whole  of  which  did  not,  in  the  United  States,  cost 
more  than  twenty  dollars;  a fourth  was  purchased  by  the 


164 


First  Across  the  Continent 


men  for  an  old  checkered  shirt, a pair  of  old  leggings,  and 
a knife.  The  Indians  seemed  to  be  quite  as  well  pleased 
as  ourselves  at  the  bargain  they  had  made.  We  now 
found  that  the  two  inferior  chiefs  were  somewhat  dis- 
pleased at  not  having  received  a present  equal  to  that 
given  to  the  great  chief,  who  appeared  in  a dress  so  much 
finer  than  their  own.  To  allay  their  discontent,  we 
bestowed  on  them  two  old  coats,  and  promised  them  if 
they  were  active  in  assisting  us  across  the  mountains 
they  should  have  an  additional  present.  This  treatment 
completely  reconciled  them,  and  the  whole  Indian  party, 
except  two  men  and  two  women,  set  out  in  perfect  good 
humor  to  return  to  their  home  with  Captain  Clark.” 


Chapter  XIV 

Across  the  Great  Divide 


CAPTAIN  CLARK  had  now  left  the  water-shed  of 
the  Missouri  behind  him,  and  was  pressing  on,  over 
a broken,  hilly  country,  to  the  lands  from  which  issue  the 
tributaries  of  the  Columbia.  The  Indian  village  which 
Captain  Lewis  had  previously  visited  had  been  removed 
two  miles  up  the  stream  on  which  it  was  situated,  and  was 
reached  by  Clark  on  August  20.  The  party  was  very 
ceremoniously  received  by  Chief  Cameahwait,  and  all 
hands  began  to  explain  to  the  white  men  the  difficulties  of 
the  situation.  How  to  transport  the  canoes  and  baggage 
over  the  mountains  to  some  navigable  stream  leading  into 
the  Columbia  was  now  the  serious  problem.  The  Indian 
chief  and  his  old  men  dwelt  on  the  obstacles  in  the  way 
and  argued  that  it  was  too  late  in  the  season  to  make  the 
attempt.  They  even  urged  the  white  men  to  stay  with 
them  until  another  spring,  when  Indian  guides  would  be 
furnished  them  to  proceed  on  their  journey  westward. 

On  the  twenty-first,  Clark  passed  the  junction  of  two 
streams,  the  Salmon  and  the  Lemhi,  which  is  now  the  site 
of  Salmon  City,  Idaho.  As  Captain  Lewis  was  the  first 
white  man  who  had  seen  these  waters,  Clark  gave  to  the 
combined  water-course  the  name  of  Lewis’  River.  The 
mountains  here  assumed  a formidable  aspect,  and  the 
stream  was  too  narrow,  rapid,  and  rock-bound  to  admit 
of  navigation.  The  journal  says  of  Captain  Clark:  — 


First  Across  the  Continent 


166 


“ He  soon  began  to  perceive  that  the  Indian  accounts 
had  not  been  exaggerated.  At  the  distance  of  a mile  he 
passed  a small  creek  [on  the  right],  and  the  points  of  four 
mountains,  which  were  rocky,  and  so  high  that  it  seemed 
almost  impossible  to  cross  them  with  horses.  The  road 
lay  over  the  sharp  fragments  of  rocks  which  had  fallen 
from  the  mountains,  and  were  strewed  in  heaps  for  miles 
together;  yet  the  horses,  altogether  unshod,  travelled 
across  them  as  fast  as  the  men,  without  detaining  them 
a moment.  They  passed  two  bold  running  streams,  and 
reached  the  entrance  of  a small  river,  where  a few  Indian 
families  resided,  who  had  not  been  previously  acquainted 
with  the  arrival  of  the  whites ; the  guide  was  behind,  and 
the  woods  were  so  thick  that  we  came  upon  them  unob- 
served, till  at  a very  short  distance.  As  soon  as  they  saw 
us  the  women  and  children  fled  in  great  consternation;  the 
men  offered  us  everything  they  had  — the  fish  on  the 
scaffolds,  the  dried  berries,  and  the  collars  of  elks’  tushes 
worn  by  the  children.  We  took  only  a small  quantity  of 
the  food,  and  gave  them  in  return  some  small  articles 
which  conduced  very  much  to  pacify  them.  The  guide 
now  coming  up,  explained  to  them  who  we  were  and  the 
object  of  our  visit,  which  seemed  to  relieve  their  fears; 
still  a number  of  the  women  and  children  did  not  recover 
from  their  fright,  but  cried  during  our  stay,  which  lasted 
about  an  hour.  The  guide,  whom  we  found  a very  intelli- 
gent, friendly  old  man,  informed  us  that  up  this  river  there 
was  a road  which  led  over  the  mountains  to  the  Missouri.” 
To  add  to  their  difficulties,  game  had  almost  entirely 
disappeared,  and  the  abundant  fish  in  the  river  could  not 
be  caught  for  lack  of  proper  fishing-tackle.  Timber  from 
which  canoes  could  be  made,  there  was  none,  and  the 
rapids  in  the  rivers  were  sharp  and  violent.  With  his 


Across  the  Great  Divide 


167 


Indian  guide  and  three  men,  Captain  Clark  now  pressed 
on  his  route  of  survey,  leaving  the  remainder  of  his  men 
behind  to  hunt  and  fish.  He  went  down  the  Salmon 
River  about  fifty-two  miles,  making  his  way  as  best  he 
could  along  its  banks.  Finding  the  way  absolutely 
blocked  for  their  purposes,  Captain  Clark  returned  on  the 
twenty-fifth  of  August  and  rejoined  the  party  that  he  had 
left  behind.  These  had  not  been  able  to  kill  anything, 
and  for  a time  starvation  stared  them  in  the  face.  Under 
date  of  August  27,  the  journal  says : — 

“ The  men,  who  were  engaged  last  night  in  mending 
their  moccasins,  all  except  one,  went  out  hunting,  but  no 
game  was  to  be  procured.  One  of  the  men,  however, 
killed  a small  salmon,  and  the  Indians  made  a present  of 
another,  on  which  the  whole  party  made  a very  slight 
breakfast.  These  Indians,  to  whom  this  life  is  familiar, 
seem  contented,  although  they  depend  for  subsistence  on 
the  scanty  productions  of  the  fishery.  But  our  men,  who 
are  used  to  hardships,  but  have  been  accustomed  to  have 
the  first  wants  of  nature  regularly  supplied,  feel  very  sen- 
sibly their  wretched  situation;  their  strength  is  wasting 
away ; they  begin  to  express  their  apprehensions  of  being 
without  food  in  a country  perfectly  destitute  of  any  means 
of  supporting  life,  except  a few  fish.  In  the  course  of  the 
day  an  Indian  brought  into  the  camp  five  salmon,  two  of 
which  Captain  Clark  bought  and  made  a supper  for  the 
party.” 

Two  days  later,  Captain  Clark  and  his  men  joined  the 
main  party,  having  met  the  only  repulse  that  was  suffered 
by  the  expedition  from  first  to  last.  Eluding  the  vigilance 
of  the  Indians,  caches , or  hiding-places,  for  the  baggage 
were  constructed,  filled,  and  concealed,  the  work  being 
done  after  dark.  The  weather  was  now  very  cold, 


1 68 


First  Across  the  Continent 


although  August  had  not  passed.  Ink  froze  in  the  pen 
during  the  night,  and  the  meadows  were  white  with  frost; 
but  the  days  were  warm,  even  hot. 

In  the  absence  of  Captain  Clark,  his  colleague  and 
party  had  been  visited  by  Cameahwait  and  about  fifty 
of  his  band,  with  their  women  and  children.  Captain 
Lewis’  journal  says  : — 

“ After  they  had  camped  near  us  and  turned  loose  their 
horses,  we  called  a council  of  all  the  chiefs  and  warriors, 
and  addressed  them  in  a speech.  Additional  presents 
were  then  distributed,  particularly  to  the  two  second 
chiefs,  who  had,  agreeably  to  their  promises,  exerted 
themselves  in  our  favor.  The  council  was  then  adjourned, 
and  all  the  Indians  were  treated  with  an  abundant  meal 
of  boiled  Indian  corn  and  beans.  The  poor  wretches,  who 
had  no  animal  food  and  scarcely  anything  but  a few  fish, 
had  been  almost  starved,  and  received  this  new  luxury  with 
great  thankfulness.  Out  of  compliment  to  the  chief,  we 
gave  him  a few  dried  squashes,  which  we  had  brought 
from  the  Mandans,  and  he  declared  it  was  the  best  food 
he  had  ever  tasted  except  sugar,  a small  lump  of  which  he 
had  received  from  his  sister  Sacajawea.  He  now  declared 
how  happy  they  should  all  be  to  live  in  a country  which 
produced  so  many  good  things ; and  we  told  him  that  it 
would  not  be  long  before  the  white  men  would  put  it  in 
their  power  to  live  below  the  mountains,  where  they  might 
themselves  cultivate  all  these  kinds  of  food,  instead  of  wan- 
dering in  the  mountains.  He  appeared  to  be  much  pleased 
with  this  information,  and  the  whole  party  being  now  in 
excellent  temper  after  their  repast,  we  began  our  purchase 
of  horses.  We  soon  obtained  five  very  good  ones,  on  very 
reasonable  terms  — that  is,  by  giving  for  each  horse  mer- 
chandise which  cost  us  originally  about  $6.  We  have 


Across  the  Great  Divide 


169 


again  to  admire  the  perfect  decency  and  propriety  of  the 
Indians ; for  though  so  numerous,  they  do  not  attempt  to 
crowd  round  our  camp  or  take  anything  which  they  see 
lying  about,  and  whenever  they  borrow  knives  or  kettles  or 
any  other  article  from  the  men,  they  return  them  with 
great  fidelity.” 

Captain  Lewis  anxiously  wished  to  push  on  to  meet 
Clark,  who,  as  we  have  seen,  was  then  far  down  on  the 
Salmon  River.  Lewis  was  still  at  the  forks  of  Jefferson 
River,  it  should  be  borne  in  mind;  and  their  objective 
point  was  the  upper  Shoshonee  village  on  the  Lemhi 
River,  across  the  divide.  While  on  the  way  over  the 
divide,  Lewis  was  greatly  troubled  by  the  freaks  of  the 
Indians,  who,  regardless  of  their  promises,  would  pro- 
pose to  return  to  the  buffalo  country  on  the  eastern  side 
of  the  mountains.  Learning  that  Cameahwait  and  his 
chiefs  had  sent  a messenger  over  to  the  Lemhi  to  notify 
the  village  to  come  and  join  an  expedition  of  this  sort, 
Captain  Lewis  was  dismayed.  His  journal  says : — 

“ Alarmed  at  this  new  caprice  of  the  Indians,  which,  if 
not  counteracted,  threatened  to  leave  ourselves  and  our 
baggage  ofi  the  mountains,  or  even  if  we  reached  the 
waters  of  the  Columbia,  to  prevent  our  obtaining  horses  to 
go  on  further,  Captain  Lewis  immediately  called  the  three 
chiefs  together.  After  smoking  a pipe  he  asked  them  if 
they  were  men  of  their  word,  and  if  we  could  rely  on  their 
promises.  They  readily  answered  in  the  affirmative.  He 
then  asked  if  they  had  not  agreed  to  assist  us  in  carrying 
our  baggage  over  the  mountains.  To  this  they  also 
answered  yes.  ‘ Why,  then,’  said  he,  ‘ have  you  re- 
quested your  people  to  meet  us  to-morrow  where  it  will 
be  impossible  for  us  to  trade  for  horses,  as  you  promised 
we  should?  If/  he  continued,  * you  had  not  promised  to 


170 


First  Across  the  Continent 


help  us  in  transporting  our  goods  over  the  mountains,  we 
should  not  have  attempted  it,  but  have  returned  down  the 
river;  after  which  no  white  men  would  ever  have  come 
into  your  country.  If  you  wish  the  whites  to  be  your 
friends,  to  bring  you  arms,  and  to  protect  you  from  your 
enemies,  you  should  never  promise  what  you  do  not  mean 
to  perform.  When  I first  met  you,  you  doubted  what  I 
said,  yet  you  afterward  saw  that  I told  you  the  truth. 
How,  therefore,  can  you  doubt  what  I now  tell  you?  You 
see  that  I divide  amongst  you  the  meat  which  my  hunters 
kill,  and  I promise  to  give  all  who  assist  us  a share  of 
whatever  we  have  to  eat.  If,  therefore,  you  intend  to 
keep  your  promise,  send  one  of  the  young  men  imme- 
diately, to  order  the  people  to  remain  at  the  village  till  we 
arrive.’  The  two  inferior  chiefs  then  said  that  they  had 
wished  to  keep  their  word  and  to  assist  us ; that  they  had 
not  sent  for  the  people,  but  on  the  contrary  had  disap- 
proved of  that  measure,  which  was  done  wholly  by  the 
first  chief.  Cameahwait  remained  silent  for  some  time ; 
at  last  he  said  that  he  knew  he  had  done  wrong,  but 
that,  seeing  his  people  all  in  want  of  provisions,  he  had 
wished  to  hasten  their  departure  for  the  country  where 
their  wants  might  be  supplied.  He,  however,  now  de- 
clared that,  having  passed  his  word,  he  would  never  violate 
it,  and  counter-orders  were  immediately  sent  to  the  village 
by  a young  man,  to  whom  we  gave  a handkerchief  in 
order  to  ensure  despatch  and  fidelity.  . . . 

“This  difficulty  being  now  adjusted,  our  march  was  re- 
sumed with  an  unusual  degree  of  alacrity  on  the  part  of 
the  Indians.  We  passed  a spot  where,  six  years  ago,  the 
Shoshonees  had  suffered  a very  severe  defeat  from  the  Min- 
netarees ; and  late  in  the  evening  we  reached  the  upper 
part  of  the  cove,  where  the  creek  enters  the  mountains. 


Across  the  Great  Divide 


I7I 


The  part  of  the  cove  on  the  northeast  side  of  the  creek 
has  lately  been  burned,  most  probably  as  a signal  on 
some  occasion.  Here  we  were  joined  by  our  hunters 
with  a single  deer,  which  Captain  Lewis  gave,  as  a proof 
of  his  sincerity,  to  the  women  and  children,  and  remained 
supperless  himself.  As  we  came  along  we  observed 
several  large  hares,  some  ducks,  and  many  of  the  cock  of 
the  plains : in  the  low  grounds  of  the  cove  were  also  con- 
siderable quantities  of  wild  onions.” 

Arriving  at  the  Shoshonee  village  on  the  Lemhi,  Cap- 
tain Lewis  found  a note  from  Captain  Clark,  sent  back  by 
a runner,  informing  him  of  the  difficulty  and  impossibility 
of  a water  route  to  the  Columbia.  Cameahwait,  being 
told  that  his  white  friends  would  now  need  twenty  more 
horses,  said  that  he  would  do  what  he  could  to  help  them. 
The  journal  here  adds:  — 

u In  order  not  to  lose  the  present  favorable  moment, 
and  to  keep  the  Indians  as  cheerful  as  possible,  the  violins 
were  brought  out  and  our  men  danced,  to  the  great 
diversion  of  the  Indians.  This  mirth  was  the  more  wel- 
come because  our  situation  was  not  precisely  that  which 
would  most  dispose  us  to  gayety;  for  we  have  only  a 
little  parched  corn  to  eat,  and  our  means  of  subsistence 
or  of  success  depend  on  the  wavering  temper  of  the 
natives,  who  may  change  their  minds  to-morrow.  . . . 

“ The  Shoshonees  are  a small  tribe  of  the  nation  called 
the  Snake  Indians,  a vague  appellation,  which  embraces  at 
once  the  inhabitants  of  the  southern  parts  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains  and  of  the  plains  on  either  side.  The  Sho- 
shonees with  whom  we  now  were  amount  to  about  one 
hundred  warriors,  and  three  times  that  number  of  women 
and  children.  Within  their  own  recollection  they  formerly 
lived  in  the  plains,  but  they  have  been  driven  into  the 


IJ2 


First  Across  the  Continent 


mountains  by  the  Pahkees,  or  the  roving  Indians  of  the 
Sascatchawan,  and  are  now  obliged  to  visit  occasionally, 
and  by  stealth,  the  country  of  their  ancestors.  Their 
lives,  indeed,  are  migratory.  From  the  middle  of  May 
to  the  beginning  of  September  they  reside  on  the  head- 
waters of  the  Columbia,  where  they  consider  themselves 
perfectly  secure  from  the  Pahkees,  who  have  never  yet 
found  their  way  to  that  retreat.  During  this  time  they 
subsist  chiefly  on  salmon,  and,  as  that  fish  disappears  on 
the  approach  of  autumn,  they  are  driven  to  seek  subsist- 
ence elsewhere.  They  then  cross  the  ridge  to  the  waters 
of  the  Missouri,  down  which  they  proceed  slowly  and 
cautiously,  till  they  are  joined  near  the  Three  Forks  by 
other  bands,  either  of  their  own  nation  or  of  the  Flatheads, 
with  whom  they  associate  against  the  common  enemy. 
Being  now  strong  in  numbers,  they  venture  to  hunt  the 
buffalo  in  the  plains  eastward  of  the  mountains,  near  which 
they  spend  the  winter,  till  the  return  of  the  salmon  invites 
them  to  the  Columbia.  But  such  is  their  terror  of  the 
Pahkees,  that,  so  long  as  they  can  obtain  the  scantiest 
subsistence,  they  do  not  leave  the  interior  of  the  moun- 
tains ; and,  as  soon  as  they  have  collected  a large  stock 
of  dried  meat,  they  again  retreat,  thus  alternately  obtain- 
ing their  food  at  the  hazard  of  their  lives,  and  hiding 
themselves  to  consume  it. 

“ In  this  loose  and  wandering  life  they  suffer  the  ex- 
tremes of  want ; for  two  thirds  of  the  year  they  are  forced 
to  live  in  the  mountains,  passing  whole  weeks  without 
meat,  and  with  nothing  to  eat  but  a few  fish  and  roots. 
Nor  can  anything  be  imagined  more  wretched  than  their 
condition  at  the  present  time,  when  the  salmon  is  fast 
retiring,  when  roots  are  becoming  scarce,  and  they  have 
not  yet  acquired  strength  to  hazard  an  encounter  with 


Across  the  Great  Divide 


J73 


their  enemies.  So  insensible  are  they,  however,  to  these 
calamities,  that  the  Shoshonees  are  not  only  cheerful,  but 
even  gay;  and  their  character,  which  is  more  interesting 
than  that  of  any  Indians  we  have  seen,  has  in  it  much 
of  the  dignity  of  misfortune.  In  their  intercourse  with 
strangers  they  are  frank  and  communicative ; in  their 
dealings  they  are  perfectly  fair ; nor  have  we,  during  our 
stay  with  them,  had  any  reason  to  suspect  that  the  dis- 
play of  all  our  new  and  valuable  wealth  has  tempted 
them  into  a single  act  of  dishonesty.  While  they  have 
generally  shared  with  us  the  little  they  possess,  they 
have  always  abstained  from  begging  anything  from  us. 
With  their  liveliness  of  temper,  they  are  fond  of  gaudy 
dresses  and  all  sorts  of  amusements,  particularly  games 
of  hazard ; and,  like  most  Indians,  delight  in  boasting  of 
their  warlike  exploits,  either  real  or  fictitious.  In  their 
conduct  towards  us  they  have  been  kind  and  obliging; 
and  though  on  one  occasion  they  seemed  willing  to  neglect 
us,  yet  we  scarcely  knew  how  to  blame  the  treatment  by 
which  we  were  to  suffer,  when  we  recollected  how  few 
civilized  chiefs  would  have  hazarded  the  comforts  or  the 
subsistence  of  their  people  for  the  sake  of  a few  strangers. 

“ As  war  is  the  chief  occupation,  bravery  is  the  first  vir- 
tue among  the  Shoshonees.  None  can  hope  to  be  dis- 
tinguished without  having  given  proofs  of  it,  nor  can  there 
be  any  preferment  or  influence  among  the  nation,  without 
some  warlike  achievement.  Those  important  events  which 
give  reputation  to  a warrior,  and  entitle  him  to  a new  name, 
are : killing  a white  [or  grizzly]  bear,  stealing  individually 
the  horses  of  the  enemy,  leading  a party  who  happen  to  be 
successful  either  in  plundering  horses  or  destroying  the 
enemy,  and  lastly,  scalping  a warrior.  These  acts  seem 


x7  4 


First  Across  the  Continent 


of  nearly  equal  dignity,  but  the  last,  that  of  taking  an 
enemy’s  scalp,  is  an  honor  quite  independent  of  the  act  of 
vanquishing  him.  To  kill  your  adversary  is  of  no  import- 
ance unless  the  scalp  is  brought  from  the  field  of  battle ; 
were  a warrior  to  slay  any  number  of  his  enemies  in  action, 
and  others  were  to  obtain  the  scalps  or  first  touch  the 
dead,  they  would  have  all  the  honors,  since  they  have 
borne  off  the  trophy. 

“ The  names  of  these  Indians  vary  in  the  course  of  their 
life.  Originally  given  in  childhood,  from  the  mere  neces- 
sity of  distinguishing  objects,  or  from  some  accidental 
resemblance  to  external  objects,  the  young  warrior  is 
impatient  to  change  it  by  some  achievement  of  his  own. 
Any  important  event  — the  stealing  of  horses,  the  scalping 
of  an  enemy,  or  the  killing  of  a brown  bear  — entitles  him 
at  once  to  a new  name,  which  he  then  selects  for  himself, 
and  it  is  confirmed  by  the  nation.  Sometimes  the  two 
names  subsist  together ; thus,  the  chief  Cameahwait,  which 
means  ‘ One  Who  Never  Walks,’  has  the  war-name  of 
Tooettecone,  or  ‘ Black  Gun,’  which  he  acquired  when  he 
first  signalized  himself.  As  each  new  action  gives  a 
warrior  a right  to  change  his  name,  many  of  them  have 
several  in  the  course  of  their  lives.  To  give  to  a friend 
one’s  own  name  is  an  act  of  high  courtesy,  and  a pledge, 
like  that  of  pulling  off  the  moccasin,  of  sincerity  and  hos- 
pitality. The  chief  in  this  way  gave  his  name  to  Captain 
Clark  when  he  first  arrived,  and  he  was  afterward  known 
among  the  Shoshonees  by  the  name  of  Cameahwait.” 

On  the  thirtieth  of  August,  the  whole  expedition  being 
now  reunited,  and  a sufficient  number  of  horses  having 
been  purchased  of  the  Shoshonees,  the  final  start  across 
the  mountains  was  begun.  The  journal  says : — 


Across  the  Great  Divide 


l75 


“ The  greater  part  of  the  band,  who  had  delayed  their 
journey  on  our  account,  were  also  ready  to  depart.  We 
took  leave  of  the  Shoshonees,  who  set  out  on  their  visit  to 
the  Missouri  at  the  same  time  that  we,  accompanied  by 
the  old  guide,  his  four  sons,  and  another  Indian,  began  the 
descent  of  the  Lemhi  River,  along  the  same  road  which 
Captain  Clark  had  previously  pursued.  After  riding  twelve 
miles  we  camped  on  the  south  bank  of  this  river,  and  as 
the  hunters  had  brought  in  three  deer  early  in  the  morn- 
ing, we  did  not  feel  the  want  of  provisions.” 

Three  days  later,  all  the  Indians,  except  the  old  guide, 
left  them.  They  now  passed  up  Fish  Creek,  and  finding 
no  track  leading  over  the  mountains  they  cut  their  way. 
Their  journal  says : — 

“This  we  effected  with  much  difficulty;  the  thickets  of 
trees  and  brush  through  which  we  were  obliged  to  cut  our 
way  required  great  labor ; the  road  itself  was  over  the 
steep  and  rocky  sides  of  the  hills,  where  the  horses  could 
not  move  without  danger  of  slipping  down,  while  their  feet 
were  bruised  by  the  rocks  and  stumps  of  trees.  Accus- 
tomed as  these  animals  were  to  this  kind  of  life,  they  suf- 
fered severely ; several  of  them  fell  to  some  distance  down 
the  sides  of  the  hills,  some  turned  over  with  the  baggage, 
one  was  crippled,  and  two  gave  out,  exhausted  with  fatigue. 
After  crossing  the  creek  several  times  we  at  last  made  five 
miles,  with  great  fatigue  and  labor,  and  camped  on  the  left 
side  of  the  creek  in  a small  stony  low  ground.  It  was  not, 
however,  till  after  dark  that  the  whole  party  was  collected ; 
and  then,  as  it  rained  and  we  had  killed  nothing,  we  passed 
an  uncomfortable  night.  The  party  had  been  too  busily 
occupied  with  the  horses  to  make  any  hunting  excursion ; 
and  though,  as  we  came  along  Fish  Creek,  we  saw  many 
beaver-dams,  we  saw  none  of  the  animals  themselves.” 


176 


First  Across  the  Continent 


The  Indian  guide  appears  here  to  have  lost  his  way ; but, 
not  dismayed,  he  pushed  on  through  a trackless  wilder- 
ness, sometimes  travelling  on  the  snow  that  now  covered 
the  mountains.  On  the  fourth  of  September,  the  party 
came  upon  a large  encampment  of  Indians,  who  received 
them  with  much  ceremony.  The  journal  says : — 

“ September  5,  we  assembled  the  chiefs  and  warriors, 
and  informed  them  who  we  were,  and  the  purpose  for 
which  we  had  visited  their  country.  All  this  was,  however, 
conveyed  to  them  through  so  many  different  languages, 
that  it  was  not  comprehended  without  difficulty.  We 
therefore  proceeded  to  the  more  intelligible  language  of 
presents,  and  made  four  chiefs  by  giving  a medal  and  a 
small  quantity  of  tobacco  to  each.  We  received  in  turn 
from  the  principal  chief  a present  consisting  of  the  skins  of 
a blaireau  (badger),  an  otter,  and  two  antelopes,  and  were 
treated  by  the  women  to  some  dried  roots  and  berries. 
We  then  began  to  traffic  for  horses,  and  succeeded  in  ex- 
changing seven  and  purchasing  eleven,  for  which  we  gave 
a few  articles  of  merchandise. 

“This  encampment  consists  of  thirty-three  tents,  in 
which  were  about  four  hundred  souls,  among  whom  eighty 
were  men.  They  are  called  Ootlashoots,  and  represent 
themselves  as  one  band  of  a nation  called  Tushepaws,  a 
numerous  people  of  four  hundred  and  fifty  tents,  residing 
on  the  head-waters  of  the  Missouri  and  Columbia  rivers, 
and  some  of  them  lower  down  the  latter  river.  In  person 
these  Indians  are  stout,  and  their  complexion  lighter  than 
that  common  among  Indians.  The  hair  of  the  men  is 
worn  in  queues  of  otter  skin,  falling  in  front  over  the 
shoulders.  A shirt  of  dressed  skin  covers  the  body  to  the 
knee,  and  over  this  is  worn  occasionally  a robe.  To  these 
are  added  leggings  and  moccasins.  The  women  suffer  their 


Across  the  Great  Divide 


177 


hair  to  fall  in  disorder  over  the  face  and  shoulders,  and 
their  chief  article  of  covering  is  a long  shirt  of  skin,  reach- 
ing down  to  the  ankles,  and  tied  round  the  waist.  In 
other  respects,  as  also  in  the  few  ornaments  which  they 
possess,  their  appearance  is  similar  to  that  of  the  Shosho- 
nees : there  is,  however,  a difference  between  the  lan- 
guages of  these  two  people,  which  is  still  farther  increased 
by  the  very  extraordinary  pronunciation  of  the  Oot- 
lashoots.  Their  words  have  all  a remarkably  guttural 
sound,  and  there  is  nothing  which  seems  to  represent  the 
tone  of  their  speaking  more  exactly  than  the  clucking  of  a 
fowl  or  the  noise  of  a parrot.  This  peculiarity  renders 
their  voices  scarcely  audible,  except  at  a short  distance; 
and,  when  many  of  them  are  talking,  forms  a strange  con- 
fusion of  sounds.  The  common  conversation  that  we  over- 
heard consisted  of  low,  guttural  sounds,  occasionally 
broken  by  a low  word  or  two,  after  which  it  would  relapse, 
and  could  scarcely  be  distinguished.  They  seemed  kind 
and  friendly,  and  willingly  shared  with  us  berries  and  roots, 
which  formed  their  sole  stock  of  provisions.  Their  only 
wealth  is  their  horses,  which  are  very  fine,  and  so  numerous 
that  this  party  had  with  them  at  least  five  hundred.” 

These  Indians  were  on  their  way  to  join  the  other  bands 
who  were  hunting  buffalo  on  the  Jefferson  River,  across  the 
Great  Divide.  They  set  out  the  next  morning,  and  the 
explorers  resumed  their  toilsome  journey,  travelling  gener- 
ally in  a northwesterly  direction  and  looking  for  a pass 
across  the  Bitter  Root  Mountains.  Very  soon,  all  indi- 
cations of  game  disappeared,  and,  September  14,  they 
were  forced  to  kill  a colt,  their  stock  of  animal  food  being 
exhausted.  They  pressed  on,  however,  through  a savage 
wilderness,  having  frequent  need  to  recur  to  horse-flesh. 
Here  is  an  entry  under  date  of  September  18,  in  the 

12 


178  First  Across  the  Continent 


journal:  “ We  melted  some  snow,  and  supped  on  a little 
portable  soup,  a few  canisters  of  which,  with  about  twenty 
pounds’  weight  of  bear’s  oil,  are  our  only  remaining  means 
of  subsistence.  Our  guns  are  scarcely  of  any  service,  for 
there  is  no  living  creature  in  these  mountains,  except  a few 
small  pheasants,  a small  species  of  gray  squirrel,  and  a blue 
bird  of  the  vulture  kind,  about  the  size  of  a turtle-dove,  or 
jay.  Even  these  are  difficult  to  shoot.” 

“ A bold  running  creek,”  up  which  Captain  Clark  passed 
on  September  19,  was  appropriately  named  by  him  “ Hun- 
gry Creek,”  as  at  that  place  they  had  nothing  to  eat. 
But,  at  about  six  miles’  distance  from  the  head  of  the 
stream,  “ he  fortunately  found  a horse,  on  which  he  break- 
fasted, and  hung  the  rest  on  a tree  for  the  party  in  the 
rear.”  This  was  one  of  the  wild  horses,  strayed  from 
Indian  bands,  which  they  found  in  the  wilderness,  too  wild 
to  be  caught  and  used,  but  not  too  wild  to  shoot  and  eat. 
Later,  on  the  same  day,  this  entry  is  made  in  the  journal : 

“ The  road  along  the  creek  is  a narrow  rocky  path  near 
the  borders  of  very  high  precipices,  from  which  a fall  seems 
almost  inevitable  destruction.  One  of  our  horses  slipped 
and  rolled  over  with  his  load  down  the  hillside,  which  was 
nearly  perpendicular  and  strewed  with  large  irregular  rocks, 
nearly  one  hundred  yards,  and  did  not  stop  till  he  fell  into 
the  creek.  We  all  expected  he  was  killed ; but  to  our 
astonishment,  on  taking  off  his  load  he  rose,  seemed  but 
little  injured,  and  in  twenty  minutes  proceeded  with  his 
load.  Having  no  other  provision,  we  took  some  portable 
soup,  our  only  refreshment  during  the  day.  This  absti- 
nence, joined  with  fatigue,  has  a visible  effect  on  our  health. 
The  men  are  growing  weak  and  losing  their  flesh  very  fast ; 
several  are  afflicted  with  dysentery,  and  eruptions  of  the 
skin  are  very  common.” 


Buffalo  Hunt 


Across  the  Great  Divide 


179 


Next  day,  the  party  descended  the  last  of  the  Bitter 
Root  range  and  reached  level  country.  They  were  at  last 
over  the  Great  Divide.  Three  Indian  boys  were  discovered 
hiding  in  the  grass,  in  great  alarm.  Captain  Clark  at  once 
dismounted  from  his  horse,  and,  making  signs  of  amity, 
went  after  the  boys.  He  calmed  their  terrors,  and,  giving 
them  some  bits  of  ribbon,  sent  them  home. 

“ Soon  after  the  boys  reached  home,  a man  came  out  to 
meet  the  party,  with  great  caution  ; but  he  conducted  them 
to  a large  tent  in  the  village,  and  all  the  inhabitants 
gathered  round  to  view  with  a mixture  of  fear  and  pleasure 
these  wonderful  strangers.  The  conductor  now  informed 
Captain  Clark,  by  signs,  that  the  spacious  tent  was  the 
residence  of  the  great  chief,  who  had  set  out  three  days 
ago  with  all  the  warriors  to  attack  some  of  their  enemies 
toward  the  southwest;  that  he  would  not  return  before 
fifteen  or  eighteen  days,  and  that  in  the  mean  time  there 
were  only  a few  men  left  to  guard  the  women  and  children. 
They  now  set  before  them  a small  piece  of  buffalo-meat, 
some  dried  salmon,  berries,  and  several  kinds  of  roots. 
Among  these  last  is  one  which  is  round,  much  like  an  onion 
in  appearance,  and  sweet  to  the  taste.  It  is  called  quamash, 
and  is  eaten  either  in  its  natural  state,  or  boiled  into  a kind 
of  soup,  or  made  into  a cake,  which  is  then  called  pasheco. 
After  the  long  abstinence  this  was  a sumptuous  treat. 
They  returned  the  kindness  of  the  people  by  a few  small 
presents,  and  then  went  on  in  company  with  one  of  the 
chiefs  to  a second  village  in  the  same  plain,  at  the  distance 
of  two  miles.  Here  the  party  were  treated  with  great 
kindness,  and  passed  the  night.  The  hunters  were  sent 
out,  but,  though  they  saw  some  tracks  of  deer,  were  not 
able  to  procure  anything.” 

The  root  which  the  Indians  used  in  so  many  ways  is 


First  Across  the  Continent 


1 80 


now  known  as  camas;  it  is  still  much  sought  for  by  the 
Nez  Perces  and  other  wandering  tribes  in  the  Northwest, 
and  Camas  Prairie,  in  that  region,  derives  its  name  from 
the  much-sought-for  vegetable. 

Captain  Clark  and  his  men  stayed  with  these  hospitable 
Indians  several  days.  The  free  use  of  wholesome  food,  to 
which  he  had  not  lately  been  accustomed,  made  Clark  very 
ill,  and  he  contented  himself  with  staying  in  the  Indian 
villages,  of  which  there  were  two.  These  Indians  called 
themselves  Chopunnish,  or  Pierced  Noses ; this  latter  name 
is  now  more  commonly  rendered  Nez  Perces,  the  French 
voyageurs  having  given  it  that  translation  into  their  own 
tongue.  But  these  people,  so  far  as  known,  did  not  pierce 
their  noses.  After  sending  a man  back  on  the  trail  to 
notify  Captain  Lewis  of  his  progress,  Captain  Clark  went 
on  to  the  village  of  Chief  Twisted-hair.  Most  of  the 
women  and  children,  though  notified  of  the  coming  of  the 
white  man,  were  so  scared  by  the  appearance  of  the 
strangers  that  they  fled  to  the  woods.  The  men,  however, 
received  them  without  fear  and  gave  them  a plentiful 
supply  of  food.  They  were  now  on  one  of  the  upper 
branches  of  the  Kooskooskee  River,  near  what  is  the  site  of 
Pierce  City,  county  seat  of  Shoshonee  County,  Idaho.  The 
Indians  endeavored,  by  means  of  signs,  to  explain  to  their 
visitors  the  geography  of  the  country  beyond. 

“ Among  others,  Twisted-hair  drew  a chart  of  the  river 
on  a white  elk-skin.  According  to  this,  the  Kooskooskee 
forks  [confluence  of  its  North  fork]  a few  miles  from  this 
place;  two  days  toward  the  south  is  another  and  larger 
fork  [confluence  of  Snake  River],  on  which  the  Shoshonee 
or  Snake  Indians  fish ; five  days’  journey  further  is  a large 
river  from  the  northwest  [that  is,  the  Columbia  itself]  into 
which  Clark’s  River  empties ; from  the  mouth  of  that  river 


Across  the  Great  Divide 


1 8 1 


[that  is,  confluence  of  the  Snake  with  the  Columbia]  to  the 
falls  is  five  days’  journey  further ; on  all  the  forks  as  well 
as  on  the  main  river  great  numbers  of  Indians  reside.” 

On  the  twenty-third  of  September,  Captain  Lewis  and 
his  party  having  come  up,  the  white  men  assembled  the 
Indians  and  explained  to  them  where  they  came  from  and 
what  was  their  errand  across  the  continent.  The  Indians 
appeared  to  be  entirely  satisfied,  and  they  sold  their  vis- 
itors as  much  provisions  as  their  half-famished  horses 
could  carry.  The  journal  here  says:  — 

“ All  around  the  village  the  women  are  busily  employed 
in  gathering  and  dressing  the  pasheco-root,  of  which  large 
quantities  are  heaped  in  piles  over  the  plain.  We  now 
felt  severely  the  consequence  of  eating  heartily  after  our 
late  privations.  Captain  Lewis  and  two  of  the  men  were 
taken  very  ill  last  evening ; to-day  he  could  hardly  sit  on 
his  horse,  while  others  were  obliged  to  be  put  on  horse- 
back, and  some,  from  extreme  weakness  and  pain,  were 
forced  to  lie  down  alongside  of  the  road  for  some  time. 
At  sunset  we  reached  the  island  where  the  hunters  had 
been  left  on  the  22d.  They  had  been  unsuccessful,  having 
killed  only  two  deer  since  that  time,  and  two  of  them  were 
very  sick.  A little  below  this  island  is  a larger  one  on 
which  we  camped,  and  administered  Rush’s  pills  to  the 
sick.” 

The  illness  of  the  party  continued  for  several  days, 
and  not  much  progress  was  made  down-stream.  Having 
camped,  on  the  twenty-seventh  of  September,  in  the  Koos- 
kooskee  River,  at  a place  where  plenty  of  good  timber  was 
found,  preparations  for  building  five  canoes  were  begun. 
From  this  time  to  the  fifth  of  October,  all  the  men  capable 
of  labor  were  employed  in  preparing  the  canoes.  The 
health  of  the  party  gradually  recruited,  though  they  still 


182 


First  Across  the  Continent 


suffered  severely  from  want  of  food ; and,  as  the  hunters 
had  but  little  success  in  procuring  game,  they  were  obliged 
on  the  second  to  kill  one  of  their  horses.  Indians  from 
different  quarters  frequently  visited  them,  but  all  that 
could  be  obtained  from  them  was  a little  fish  and  some 
dried  roots.  This  diet  was  not  only  unnutritious,  but  in 
many  cases  it  caused  dysentery  and  nausea. 


Chapter  XV 

Down  the  Pacific  Slope 


THE  early  days  of  October  were  spent  in  making 
preparations  for  the  descent  of  the  river,  — the 
Kooskooskee.  Here  they  made  their  canoes,  and  they 
called  their  stopping-place  Canoe  Camp.  This  was  at 
the  junction  of  the  north  fork  of  the  river  with  the  main 
stream ; and  all  below  that  point  is  called  the  Lower 
Kooskooskee,  while  that  above  is  known  as  the  upper 
river.  The  latitude  of  the  camp,  according  to  the  jour- 
nal of  the  explorers,  was  46°  34'  56"  north.  Here  they 
buried  in  a cache  their  saddles,  horse-gear,  and  a small 
supply  of  powder  and  musket  balls  for  possible  emer- 
gencies. The  Kooskooskee,  it  should  be  borne  in  mind, 
is  now  better  known  as  the  Clearwater;  it  empties  into 
the  Snake  River,  and  that  into  the  Columbia.  As  far  as 
the  explorers  knew  the  water-course  down  which  they 
were  to  navigate,  they  called  it  Clark’s  River,  in  honor 
of  Captain  Clark.  But  modern  geographers  have  dis- 
placed the  name  of  that  eminent  explorer  and  map-maker 
and  have  divided  the  stream,  or  streams,  with  other 
nomenclature. 

On  the  eighth  of  October  the  party  set  out  on  their 
long  water  journey  in  five  canoes,  one  of  which  was  a 
small  craft  intended  to  go  on  ahead  and  pilot  the  way 
(which,  of  course,  was  unknown)  for  the  four  larger  ones,  in 


184 


First  Across  the  Continent 


which  travelled  the  main  party  with  their  luggage.  They 
met  with  disaster  very  soon  after  their  start,  one  of  the 
canoes  having  struck  a rock,  which  made  a hole  in  its 
side  and  caused  the  sinking  of  the  craft.  Fortunately, 
no  lives  were  lost,  but  the  voyage  was  interrupted.  The 
party  went  ashore  and  did  not  resume  their  journey  until 
their  luggage  was  dried  and  the  canoe  repaired.  On  the 
ninth,  says  the  journal : — 

“The  morning  was  as  usual  cool;  but  as  the  weather 
both  yesterday  and  to-day  was  cloudy,  our  merchandise 
dried  but  slowly.  The  boat,  though  much  injured,  was 
repaired  by  ten  o’clock  so  as  to  be  perfectly  fit  for  ser- 
vice; but  we  were  obliged  to  remain  during  the  day  till 
the  articles  were  sufficiently  dry  to  be  reloaded.  The 
interval  we  employed  in  purchasing  fish  for  the  voyage, 
and  conversing  with  the  Indians.  In  the  afternoon  we 
were  surprised  at  hearing  that  our  old  Shoshonee  guide 
and  his  son  had  left  us  and  had  been  seen  running  up  the 
river  several  miles  above.  As  he  had  never  given  any 
notice  of  his  intention,  nor  had  even  received  his  pay  for 
guiding  us,  we  could  not  imagine  the  cause  of  his  deser- 
tion; nor  did  he  ever  return  to  explain  his  conduct.  We 
requested  the  chief  to  send  a horseman  after  him  to 
request  that  he  would  return  and  receive  what  we  owed 
him.  From  this,  however,  he  dissuaded  us,  and  said 
very  frankly  that  his  nation,  the  Chopunnish,  would  take 
from  the  old  man  any  presents  that  he  might  have  on 
passing  their  camp.  The  Indians  came  about  our  camp 
at  night,  and  were  very  gay  and  good-humored  with  the 
men.  Among  other  exhibitions  was  that  of  a squaw  who 
appeared  to  be  crazy.  She  sang  in  a wild,  incoherent 
manner,  and  offered  to  the  spectators  all  the  little  arti- 
cles she  possessed,  scarifying  herself  in  a horrid  manner 


Down  the  Pacific  Slope 


185 


if  anyone  refused  her  present.  She  seemed  to  be  an 
object  of  pity  among  the  Indians,  who  suffered  her  to 
do  as  she  pleased  without  interruption.” 

The  river  was  full  of  rapids  and  very  dangerous  rocks 
and  reefs,  and  the  voyagers  were  able  to  make  only  twenty 
miles  a day  for  some  distance  along  the  stream.  At  the 
confluence  of  the  Kooskooskee  and  the  Snake  River  they 
camped  for  the  night,  near  the  present  site  of  Lewiston, 
Idaho.  This  city,  first  settled  in  May,  1861,  and  incor- 
porated in  1863,  was  named  for  Captain  Lewis  of  our 
expedition.  From  this  point  the  party  crossed  over  into 
the  present  State  of  Washington.  Of  their  experience 
at  their  camp  here  the  journal  says:  — 

“ Our  arrival  soon  attracted  the  attention  of  the  In- 
dians, who  flocked  in  all  directions  to  see  us.  In  the 
evening  the  Indian  from  the  falls,  whom  we  had  seen  at 
Rugged  rapid,  joined  us  with  his  son  in  a small  canoe, 
and  insisted  on  accompanying  us  to  the  falls.  Being 
again  reduced  to  fish  and  roots,  we  made  an  experiment 
to  vary  our  food  by  purchasing  a few  dogs,  and  after 
having  been  accustomed  to  horse-flesh,  felt  no  disrelish 
for  this  new  dish.  The  Chopunnish  have  great  numbers 
of  dogs,  which  they  employ  for  domestic  purposes,  but 
never  eat ; and  our  using  the  flesh  of  that  animal  soon 
brought  us  into  ridicule  as  dog-eaters.” 

When  Fremont  and  his  men  crossed  the  continent  to 
California,  in  1842,  they  ate  the  flesh  of  that  species  of 
marmot  which  we  know  as  the  prairie-dog.  Long  after- 
wards, when  Fremont  was  a candidate  for  the  office  of 
President  of  the  United  States,  this  fact  was  recalled 
to  the  minds  of  men,  and  the  famous  explorer  was 
denounced  as  “ a dog-eater.” 

The  journal  of  the  explorers  gives  this  interesting 


1 86 


First  Across  the  Continent 


account  of  the  Indians  among  whom  they  now  found 
themselves : — 

“The  Chopunnish  or  Pierced-nose  nation,  who  reside 
on  the  Kooskooskee  and  Lewis’  [Snake]  rivers,  are  in 
person  stout,  portly,  well-looking  men;  the  women  are 
small,  with  good  features  and  generally  handsome,  though 
the  complexion  of  both  sexes  is  darker  than  that  of  the 
Tushepaws.  In  dress  they  resemble  that  nation,  being 
fond  of  displaying  their  ornaments.  The  buffalo  or  elk- 
skin  robe  decorated  with  beads;  sea-shells,  chiefly  mother- 
of-pearl,  attached  to  an  otter-skin  collar  and  hung  in  the 
hair,  which  falls  in  front  in  two  cues;  feathers,  paints  of 
different  kinds,  principally  white,  green,  and  light  blue, 
all  of  which  they  find  in  their  own  country;  these  are 
the  chief  ornaments  they  use.  In  the  winter  they  wear 
a short  skirt  of  dressed  skins,  long  painted  leggings  and 
moccasins,  and  a plait  of  twisted  grass  round  the  neck. 
The  dress  of  the  women  is  more  simple,  consisting  of  a 
long  shirt  of  argalia  [argali]  or  ibex  [bighorn]  skin, 
reaching  down  to  the  ankles,  without  a girdle;  to  this 
are  tied  little  pieces  of  brass,  shells,  and  other  small  arti- 
cles ; but  the  head  is  not  at  all  ornamented. 

“The  Chopunnish  have  very  few  amusements,  for  their 
life  is  painful  and  laborious;  all  their  exertions  are  neces- 
sary to  earn  even  their  precarious  subsistence.  During 
the  summer  and  autumn  they  are  busily  occupied  in  fish- 
ing for  salmon  and  collecting  their  winter  store  of  roots. 
In  winter  they  hunt  the  deer  on  snow-shoes  over  the 
plains,  and  toward  spring  cross  the  mountains  to  the 
Missouri  for  the  purpose  of  rafficking  for  buffalo-robe. 
The  inconveniences  of  their  comfortless  life  are  in- 
creased by  frequent  encounters  with  their  enemies  from 
the  west,  who  drive  them  over  the  mountains  with  the 


Down  the  Pacific  Slope  187 


loss  of  their  horses,  and  sometimes  the  lives  of  many 
of  the  nation.” 

After  making  a short  stage  on  their  journey,  October 
11,  the  party  stopped  to  trade  with  the  Indians,  their 
stock  of  provisions  being  low.  They  were  able  to  pur- 
chase a quantity  of  salmon  and  seven  dogs.  They  saw 
here  a novel  kind  of  vapor  bath  which  is  thus  described 
in  the  journal : — 

“ While  this  traffic  was  going  on  we  observed  a vapor 
bath  or  sweating-house,  in  a different  form  from  that 
used  on  the  frontier  of  the  United  States  or  in  the  Rocky 
Mountains.  It  was  a hollow  square  six  or  eight  feet 
deep,  formed  in  the  river  bank  by  damming  up  with  mud 
the  other  three  sides  and  covering  the  whole  completely, 
except  an  aperture  about  two  feet  wide  at  the  top.  The 
bathers  descend  by  this  hole,  taking  with  them  a number 
of  heated  stones  and  jugs  of  water;  after  being  seated 
round  the  room  they  throw  the  water  on  the  stones  till 
the  steam  becomes  of  a temperature  sufficiently  high  for 
their  purposes.  The  baths  of  the  Indians  in  the  Rocky 
Mountains  are  of  different  sizes,  the  most  common  being 
made  of  mud  and  sticks  like  an  oven,  but  the  mode  of 
raising  the  steam  is  exactly  the  same.  Among  both  these 
nations  it  is  very  uncommon  for  a man  to  bathe  alone; 
he  is  generally  accompanied  by  one  or  sometimes  several 
of  his  acquaintances;  indeed,  it  is  so  essentially  a social 
amusement,  that  to  decline  going  in  to  bathe  when  in- 
vited by  a friend  is  one  of  the  highest  indignities  which 
can  be  offered  to  him.  The  Indians  on  the  frontier 
generally  use  a bath  which  will  accommodate  only  one 
person,  formed  of  a wicker-work  of  willows  about  four 
feet  high,  arched  at  the  top,  and  covered  with  skins.  In 
this  the  patient  sits,  till  by  means  of  the  heated  stones 


1 88 


First  Across  the  Continent 


and  water  he  has  perspired  sufficiently.  Almost  univer- 
sally these  baths  are  in  the  neighborhood  of  running 
water,  into  which  the  Indians  plunge  immediately  on 
coming  out  of  the  vapor  bath,  and  sometimes  return 
again  and  subject  themselves  to  a second  perspiration. 
This  practice  is,  however,  less  frequent  among  our  neigh- 
boring nations  than  those  to  the  westward.  This  bath  is 
employed  either  for  pleasure  or  for  health,  and  is  used 
indiscriminately  for  all  kinds  of  diseases.” 

The  expedition  was  now  on  the  Snake  River,  making 
all  possible  speed  toward  the  Columbia,  commonly  known 
to  the  Indians  as  “The  Great  River.”  The  stream  was 
crowded  with  dangerous  rapids,  and  sundry  disasters  were 
met  with  by  the  way;  thus,  on  the  fourteenth  of  October, 
a high  wind  blowing,  one  of  the  canoes  was  driven  upon 
a rock  sidewise  and  filled  with  water.  The  men  on 
board  got  out  and  dragged  the  canoe  upon  the  rock, 
where  they  held  her  above  water.  Another  canoe,  hav- 
ing been  unloaded,  was  sent  to  the  relief  of  the  ship- 
wrecked men,  who,  after  being  left  on  the  rock  for  some 
time,  were  taken  off  without  any  other  loss  than  the  bed- 
ding of  two  of  them.  But  accidents  like  this  delayed  the 
party,  as  they  were  forced  to  land  and  remain  long  enough 
to  dry  the  goods  that  had  been  exposed  to  the  water. 
Several  such  incidents  are  told  in  the  journal  of  the 
explorers.  Few  Indians  were  to  be  seen  along  the  banks 
of  the  river,  but  occasionally  the  party  came  to  a pile  of 
planks  and  timbers  which  were  the  materials  from  which 
were  built  the  houses  of  such  Indians  as  came  here  in  the 
fishing  season  to  catch  a supply  for  the  winter  and  for 
trading  purposes.  Occasionally,  the  complete  scarcity  of 
fuel  compelled  the  explorers  to  depart  from  their  general 
rule  to  avoid  taking  any  Indian  property  without  leave; 


Indian  Vapok  Baths 


Down  the  Pacific  Slope 


1 89 


and  they  used  some  of  these  house  materials  for  firewood, 
with  the  intent  to  pay  the  rightful  owners,  if  they  should 
ever  be  found.  On  the  sixteenth  of  October,  they  met 
with  a party  of  Indians,  of  whom  the  journal  gives  this 
account : — 

“ After  crossing  by  land  we  halted  for  dinner,  and 
whilst  we  were  eating  were  visited  by  five  Indians,  who 
came  up  the  river  on  foot  in  great  haste.  We  received 
them  kindly,  smoked  with  them,  and  gave  them  a piece 
of  tobacco  to  smoke  with  their  tribe.  On  receiving  the 
present  they  set  out  to  return,  and  continued  running  as 
fast  as  they  could  while  they  remained  in  sight.  Their 
curiosity  had  been  excited  by  the  accounts  of  our  two 
chiefs,  who  had  gone  on  in  order  to  apprise  the  tribes  of 
our  approach  and  of  our  friendly  disposition  toward  them. 
After  dinner  we  reloaded  the  canoes  and  proceeded. 
We  soon  passed  a rapid  opposite  the  upper  point  of  a 
sandy  island  on  the  left,  which  has  a smaller  island  near 
it.  At  three  miles  is  a gravelly  bar  in  the  river;  four 
miles  beyond  this  the  Kimooenim  [Snake]  empties  into 
the  Columbia,  and  at  its  mouth  has  an  island  just  below 
a small  rapid. 

“We  halted  above  the  point  of  junction,  on  the 
Kimooenim,  to  confer  with  the  Indians,  who  had  col- 
lected in  great  numbers  to  receive  us.  On  landing  we 
were  met  by  our  two  chiefs,  to  whose  good  offices  we 
were  indebted  for  this  reception,  and  also  the  two  Indians 
who  had  passed  us  a few  days  since  on  horseback ; one  of 
whom  appeared  to  be  a man  of  influence,  and  harangued 
the  Indians  on  our  arrival.  After  smoking  with  the 
Indians,  we  formed  a camp  at  the  point  where  the  two 
rivers  unite,  near  to  which  we  found  some  driftwood,  and 
were  supplied  by  our  two  old  chiefs  with  the  stalks  of 
willows  and  some  small  bushes  for  fuel. 


190 


First  Across  the  Continent 


“ We  had  scarcely  fixed  the  camp  and  got  the  fires  pre- 
pared, when  a chief  came  from  the  Indian  camp  about  a 
quarter  of  a mile  up  the  Columbia,  at  the  head  of  nearly 
two  hundred  men.  They  formed  a regular  procession, 
keeping  time  to  the  music,  or,  rather,  noise  of  their  drums, 
which  they  accompanied  with  their  voices;  and  as  they 
advanced,  they  ranged  themselves  in  a semicircle  around 
us,  and  continued  singing  for  some  time.  We  then 
smoked  with  them  all,  and  communicated,  as  well  as 
we  could  by  signs,  our  friendly  intentions  towards  every 
nation,  and  our  joy  at  finding  ourselves  surrounded  by 
our  children.  After  this  we  proceeded  to  distribute 
presents  among  them,  giving  the  principal  chief  a large 
medal,  a shirt,  and  a handkerchief;  to  the  second  chief, 
a medal  of  a smaller  size;  and  to  a third,  who  had  come 
down  from  some  of  the  upper  villages,  a small  medal  and 
a handkerchief.  This  ceremony  being  concluded,  they 
left  us;  but  in  the  course  of  the  afternoon  several  of 
them  returned,  and  remained  with  us  till  a late  hour. 
After  they  had  dispersed,  we  proceeded  to  purchase  pro- 
visions, and  were  enabled  to  collect  seven  dogs,  to  which 
some  of  the  Indians  added  small  presents  of  fish,  and  one 
of  them  gave  us  twenty  pounds  of  fat  dried  horse-flesh.” 

The  explorers  were  still  in  the  country  which  is  now 
the  State  of  Washington,  at  a point  where  the  counties 
of  Franklin,  Yakima,  and  Walla  Walla  come  together,  at 
the  junction  of  the  Snake  and  the  Columbia.  We  quote 
now  from  the  journal : — 

“ From  the  point  of  junction  the  country  is  a continued 
plain,  low  near  the  water,  from  which  it  rises  gradually, 
and  the  only  elevation  to  be  seen  is  a range  of  high 
country  running  from  northeast  to  southwest,  where  it 
joins  a range  of  mountains  from  the  southwest,  and  is 


Down  the  Pacific  Slope 


191 


on  the  opposite  side  about  two  miles  from  the  Columbia. 
There  is  on  this  plain  no  tree,  and  scarcely  any  shrubs, 
except  a few  willow-bushes ; even  of  smaller  plants  there 
is  not  much  more  than  the  prickly-pear,  which  is  in 
great  abundance,  and  is  even  more  thorny  and  trouble- 
some than  any  we  have  yet  seen.  During  this  time  the 
principal  chief  came  down  with  several  of  his  warriors, 
and  smoked  with  us.  We  were  also  visited  by  several 
men  and  women,  who  offered  dogs  and  fish  for  sale;  but 
as  the  fish  was  out  of  season,  and  at  present  abundant  in 
the  river,  we  contented  ourselves  with  purchasing  all  the 
dogs  we  could  obtain. 

“ The  nation  among  which  we  now  are  call  themselves 
Sokulks;  with  them  are  united  a few  of  another  nation, 
who  reside  on  a western  branch  which  empties  into  the 
Columbia  a few  miles  above  the  mouth  of  the  latter  river, 
and  whose  name  is  Chimnapum.  The  languages  of  these 
two  nations,  of  each  of  which  we  obtained  a vocabulary, 
differ  but  little  from  each  other,  or  from  that  of  the 
Chopunnish  who  inhabit  the  Kooskooskee  and  Lewis’ 
rivers.  In  their  dress  and  general  appearance  they  also 
much  resemble  those  nations;  the  men  wearing  a robe  of 
deer-  or  antelope-skin,  under  which  a few  of  them  have 
a short  leathern  shirt.  The  most  striking  difference  is 
among  the  females,  the  Sokulk  women  being  more  in- 
clined to  corpulency  than  any  we  have  yet  seen.  Their 
stature  is  low,  their  faces  are  broad,  and  their  heads  flat- 
tened in  such  a manner  that  the  forehead  is  in  a straight 
line  from  the  nose  to  the  crown  of  the  head.  Their  eyes 
are  of  a dirty  sable,  their  hair  is  coarse  and  black,  and 
braided  without  ornament  of  any  kind.  Instead  of  wear- 
ing, as  do  the  Chopunnish,  long  leathern  shirts  highly 
decorated  with  beads  and  shells,  the  Sokulk  women  have 


192 


First  Across  the  Continent 


no  other  covering  but  a truss  or  piece  of  leather  tied 
round  the  hips,  and  drawn  tight  between  the  legs.  The 
ornaments  usually  worn  by  both  sexes  are  large  blue  or 
white  beads,  either  pendant  from  their  ears,  or  round  the 
neck,  wrists,  and  arms;  they  have  likewise  bracelets  of 
brass,  copper,  and  horn,  and  some  trinkets  of  shells,  fish- 
bones, and  curious  feathers. 

“The  houses  of  the  Sokulks  are  made  of  large  mats  of 
rushes,  and  are  generally  of  a square  or  oblong  form, 
varying  in  length  from  fifteen  to  sixty  feet,  and  sup- 
ported in  the  inside  by  poles  or  forks  about  six  feet 
high.  The  top  is  covered  with  mats,  leaving  a space  of 
twelve  or  fifteen  inches  the  whole  length  of  the  house, 
for  the  purpose  of  admitting  the  light  and  suffering  the 
smoke  to  escape.  The  roof  is  nearly  flat,  which  seems  to 
indicate  that  rains  are  not  common  in  this  open  country; 
and  the  house  is  not  divided  into  apartments,  the  fire 
being  in  the  middle  of  the  enclosure,  and  immediately 
under  the  hole  in  the  roof.  The  interior  is  ornamented 
with  their  nets,  gigs,  and  other  fishing-tackle,  as  well 
as  the  bow  of  each  inmate,  and  a large  quiver  of  arrows, 
which  are  headed  with  flint. 

“The  Sokulks  seem  to  be  of  a mild  and  peaceable  dis- 
position, and  live  in  a state  of  comparative  happiness. 
The  men,  like  those  on  the  Kimooenim,  are  said  to  con- 
tent themselves  with  a single  wife,  with  whom  the 
husband,  we  observe,  shares  the  labors  of  procuring 
subsistence  much  more  than  is  common  among  savages. 
What  may  be  considered  an  unequivocal  proof  of  their 
good  disposition,  is  the  great  respect  which  is  shown  to 
old  age.  Among  qther  marks  of  it,  we  noticed  in  one  of 
the  houses  an  old  woman  perfectly  blind,  and  who,  we 
were  told,  had  lived  more  than  a hundred  winters.  In 


Down  the  Pacific  Slope 


*93 


this  state  of  decrepitude,  she  occupied  the  best  position 
in  the  house,  seemed  to  be  treated  with  great  kindness, 
and  whatever  she  said  was  listened  to  with  much  atten- 
tion. They  are  by  no  means  obtrusive;  and  as  their 
fisheries  supply  them  with  a competent,  if  not  an  abun- 
dant subsistence,  although  they  receive  thankfully  what- 
ever we  choose  to  give,  they  do  not  importune  us  by 
begging.  Fish  is,  indeed,  their  chief  food,  except  roots 
and  casual  supplies  of  antelope,  which  latter,  to  those 
who  have  only  bows  and  arrows,  must  be  very  scanty. 
This  diet  may  be  the  direct  or  the  remote  cause  of  the 
chief  disorder  which  prevails  among  them,  as  well  as 
among  the  Flatheads  on  the  Kooskooskee  and  Lewis’ 
rivers.  With  all  these  Indians  a bad  soreness  of  the 
eyes  is  a very  common  disorder,  which  is  suffered  to 
ripen  by  neglect,  till  many  are  deprived  of  one  of  their 
eyes,  and  some  have  totally  lost  the  use  of  both.  This 
dreadful  calamity  may  reasonably,  we  think,  be  imputed 
to  the  constant  reflection  of  the  sun  on  the  waters,  where 
they  are  constantly  fishing  in  the  spring,  summer,  and 
fall,  and  during  the  rest  of  the  year  on  the  snows  of  a 
country  which  affords  no  object  to  relieve  the  sight. 

“ Among  the  Sokulks,  indeed  among  all  the  tribes 
whose  chief  subsistence  is  fish,  we  have  observed  that 
bad  teeth  are  very  general ; some  have  the  teeth,  particu- 
larly those  of  the  upper  jaw,  worn  down  to  the  gums,  and 
many  of  both  sexes,  even  of  middle  age,  have  lost  them 
almost  entirely.  This  decay  of  the  teeth  is  a circum- 
stance very  unusual  among  Indians,  either  of  the  moun- 
tains or  the  plains,  and  seems  peculiar  to  the  inhabitants 
of  the  Columbia.  We  cannot  avoid  regarding  as  one 
principal  cause  of  it  the  manner  in  which  they  eat  their 
food.  The  roots  are  swallowed  as  they  are  dug  from  the 

13 


194 


First  Across  the  Continent 


ground,  frequently  covered  with  a gritty  sand;  so  little 
idea  have  they  that  this  is  offensive  that  all  the  roots 
they  offer  us  for  sale  are  in  the  same  condition.” 

The  explorers  were  now  at  the  entrance  of  the  mighty 
Columbia,  — “ The  Great  River  ” of  which  they  had  heard 
so  much  from  the  Indians.  We  might  suppose  that  when 
they  actually  embarked  upon  the  waters  of  the  famous 
stream,  variously  known  as  “The  River  of  the  North” 
and  “The  Oregon,”  the  explorers  would  be  touched  with 
a little  of  the  enthusiasm  with  which  they  straddled  the 
headwaters  of  the  Missouri  and  gazed  upon  the  snow- 
covered  peaks  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  But  no  such 
kindling  of  the  imagination  seems  to  have  been  noted  in 
their  journal.  In  this  commonplace  way,  according  to 
their  own  account,  Captain  Clark  entered  upon  the  mighty 
Columbia : — 

“In  the  course  of  the  day  [October  17,  1805],  Cap- 
tain Clark,  in  a small  canoe  with  two  men,  ascended  the 
Columbia.  At  the  distance  of  five  miles  he  passed  an 
island  in  the  middle  of  the  river,  at  the  head  of  which 
was  a small  but  not  dangerous  rapid.  On  the  left  bank, 
opposite  to  this  island,  was  a fishing-place  consisting  of 
three  mat  houses.  Here  were  great  quantities  of  salmon 
drying  on  scaffolds;  and,  indeed,  from  the  mouth  of  the 
river  upward,  he  saw  immense  numbers  of  dead  salmon 
strewed  along  the  shore,  or  floating  on  the  surface  of  the 
water,  which  is  so  clear  that  the  fish  may  be  seen  swim- 
ming at  the  depth  of  fifteen  or  twenty  feet.  The  Indians, 
who  had  collected  on  the  banks  to  observe  him,  now 
joined  him  in  eighteen  canoes,  and  accompanied  him  up 
the  river.  A mile  above  the  rapids  he  came  to  the  lower 
point  of  an  island,  where  the  course  of  the  stream,  which 
had  been  from  its  mouth  north  eighty- three  degrees  west. 


Down  the  Pacific  Slope 


195 


now  became  due  west.  He  proceeded  in  that  direction, 
until,  observing  three  houses  of  mats  at  a short  distance,  he 
landed  to  visit  them.  On  entering  one  of  these  houses, 
he  found  it  crowded  with  men,  women,  and  children,  who 
immediately  provided  a mat  for  him  to  sit  on,  and  one  of 
the  party  undertook  to  prepare  something  to  eat.  He  be- 
gan by  bringing  in  a piece  of  pine  wood  that  had  drifted 
down  the  river,  which  he  split  into  small  pieces  with  a 
wedge  made  of  elkhorn,  by  means  of  a mallet  of  stone 
curiously  carved.  The  pieces  of  wood  were  then  laid 
on  the  fire,  and  several  round  stones  placed  upon  them. 
One  of  the  squaws  now  brought  a bucket  of  water,  in 
which  was  a large  salmon  about  half  dried,  and,  as  the 
stones  became  heated,  they  were  put  into  the  bucket  till 
the  salmon  was  sufficiently  boiled  for  use.  It  was  then 
taken  out,  put  on  a platter  of  rushes  neatly  made,  and 
laid  before  Captain  Clark,  while  another  was  boiled  for 
each  of  his  men.  During  these  preparations  he  smoked 
with  such  about  him  as  would  accept  of  tobacco,  but  very 
few  were  desirous  of  smoking,  a custom  which  is  not 
general  among  them,  and  chiefly  used  as  a matter  of  form 
in  great  ceremonies. 

“After  eating  the  fish,  which  was  of  an  excellent  flavor, 
Captain  Clark  set  out  and,  at  the  distance  of  four  miles 
from  the  last  island,  came  to  the  lower  point  of  another 
near  the  left  shore,  where  he  halted  at  two  large  mat- 
houses.  Here,  as  at  the  three  houses  below,  the  in- 
habitants were  occupied  in  splitting  and  drying  salmon. 
The  multitudes  of  this  fish  are  almost  inconceivable. 
The  water  is  so  clear  that  they  can  readily  be  seen  at  the 
depth  of  fifteen  or  twenty  feet ; but  at  this  season  they  float 
in  such  quantities  down  the  stream,  and  are  drifted  ashore, 
that  the  Indians  have  only  to  collect,  split,  and  dry  them 


First  Across  the  Continent 


1 96 


on  the  scaffolds.  Where  they  procure  the  timber  of 
which  these  scaffolds  are  composed  he  could  not  learn; 
but  as  there  is  nothing  but  willow-bushes  to  be  seen  for 
a great  distance  from  this  place,  it  rendered  very  probable 
what  the  Indians  assured  him  by  signs,  that  they  often 
used  dried  fish  as  fuel  for  the  common  occasions  of  cook- 
ing. From  this  island  they  showed  him  the  entrance  of 
the  western  branch  of  the  Columbia,  called  the  Tapteal, 
which,  as  far  as  could  be  seen,  bears  nearly  west  and 
empties  about  eight  miles  above  into  the  Columbia,  the 
general  course  of  which  is  northwest.” 

The  Tapteal,  as  the  journal  calls  it,  is  now  known  as 
the  Yakima,  a stream  which  has  its  source  in  the  Cas- 
cade range  of  mountains,  Washington.  The  party  tarried 
here  long  enough  to  secure  from  the  Indians  a tolerably 
correct  description  of  the  river  upon  which  they  were 
about  to  embark.  One  of  the  chiefs  drew  upon  the  skin- 
side  of  a buffalo  robe  a sketch  of  the  Columbia.  And 
this  was  transferred  to  paper  and  put  into  the  journal. 
That  volume  adds  here : — 

“ Having  completed  the  purposes  of  our  stay,  we  now 
began  to  lay  in  our  stores.  Fish  being  out  of  season,  we 
purchased  forty  dogs,  for  which  we  gave  small  articles, 
such  as  bells,  thimbles,  knitting-needles,  brass  wire,  and 
a few  beads,  an  exchange  with  which  they  all  seemed 
perfectly  satisfied.  These  dogs,  with  six  prairie-cocks 
killed  this  morning,  formed  a plentiful  supply  for  the 
present.  We  here  left  our  guide  and  the  two  young  men 
who  had  accompanied  him,  two  of  the  three  being  unwill- 
ing to  go  any  further,  and  the  third  being  of  no  use,  as 
he  was  not  acquainted  with  the  river  below.  We  there- 
fore took  no  Indians  but  our  two  chiefs,  and  resumed  our 
journey  in  the  presence  of  many  of  the  Sokulks,  who 


Down  the  Pacific  Slope  197 


came  to  witness  our  departure.  The  morning  was  cool 
and  fair,  and  the  wind  from  the  southeast.” 

They  now  began  again  to  meet  Indians  who  had  never 
before  seen  white  men.  On  the  nineteenth,  says  the 
journal : — 

“The  great  chief,  with  two  of  his  inferior  chiefs  and  a 
third  belonging  to  a band  on  the  river  below,  made  us  a 
visit  at  a very  early  hour.  The  first  of  these  was  called 
Yelleppit, — a handsome,  well-proportioned  man,  about 
five  feet  eight  inches  high,  and  thirty-five  years  of  age,  with 
a bold  and  dignified  countenance;  the  rest  were  not  dis- 
tinguished in  their  appearance.  We  smoked  with  them, 
and  after  making  a speech,  gave  a medal,  a handkerchief, 
and  a string  of  wampum  to  Yelleppit,  but  a string  of  wam- 
pum only  to  the  inferior  chiefs.  He  requested  us  to  re- 
main till  the  middle  of  the  day,  in  order  that  all  his  nation 
might  come  and  see  us;  but  we  excused  ourselves  by  tell- 
ing him  that  on  our  return  we  would  spend  two  or  three 
days  with  him.  This  conference  detained  us  till  nine 
o’clock,  by  which  time  great  numbers  of  the  Indians  had 
come  down  to  visit  us.  On  leaving  them  we  went  on  for 
eight  miles,  when  we  came  to  an  island  near  the  left 
shore,  which  continued  six  miles  in  length.  At  its  lower 
extremity  is  a small  island  on  which  are  five  houses,  at 
present  vacant,  though  the  scaffolds  of  fish  are  as  usual 
abundant.  A short  distance  below  are  two  more  islands, 
one  of  them  near  the  middle  of  the  river.  On  this  there 
were  seven  houses,  but  as  soon  as  the  Indians,  who  were 
drying  fish,  saw  us,  they  fled  to  their  houses,  and  not 
one  of  them  appeared  till  we  had  passed ; when  they  came 
out  in  greater  numbers  than  is  usual  for  houses  of  that 
size,  which  induced  us  to  think  that  the  inhabitants  of 
the  five  lodges  had  been  alarmed  at  our  approach  and 


1 98  First  Across  the  Continent 


taken  refuge  with  them.  We  were  very  desirous  of  land- 
ing in  order  to  relieve  their  apprehensions,  but  as  there 
was  a bad  rapid  along  the  island  all  our  care  was  neces- 
sary to  prevent  injury  to  the  canoes.  At  the  foot  of  this 
rapid  is  a rock  on  the  left  shore,  which  is  fourteen  miles 
from  our  camp  of  last  night  and  resembles  a hat  in  shape.” 
Later  in  the  day,  Captain  Clark  ascended  a bluff  on 
the  river  bank,  where  he  saw  “a  very  high  mountain 
covered  with  snow.”  This  was  Mount  St.  Helen’s,  in 
Cowlitz  County,  Washington.  The  altitude  of  the  peak 
is  nine  thousand  seven  hundred  and  fifty  feet.  ‘‘Having 
arrived  at  the  lower  ends  of  the  rapids  below  the  bluff 
before  any  of  the  rest  of  the  party,  he  sat  down  on 
a rock  to  wait  for  them,  and,  seeing  a crane  fly  across 
the  river,  shot  it,  and  it  fell  near  him.  Several  Indians 
had  been  before  this  passing  on  the  opposite  side  towards 
the  rapids,  and  some  who  were  then  nearly  in  front 
of  him,  being  either  alarmed  at  his  appearance  or  the 
report  of  the  gun,  fled  to  their  houses.  Captain  Clark 
was  afraid  that  these  people  had  not  yet  heard  that 
the  white  men  were  coming,  and  therefore,  in  order  to 
allay  their  uneasiness  before  the  rest  of  the  party 
should  arrive,  he  got  into  the  small  canoe  with  three 
men,  rowed  over  towards  the  houses,  and,  while  cross- 
ing, shot  a duck,  which  fell  into  the  water.  As  he  ap- 
proached no  person  was  to  be  seen  except  three  men  in 
the  plains,  and  they,  too,  fled  as  he  came  near  the  shore. 
He  landed  in  front  of  five  houses  close  to  each  other,  but 
no  one  appeared,  and  the  doors,  which  were  of  mat,  were 
closed.  He  went  towards  one  of  them  with  a pipe  in  his 
hand,  and,  pushing  aside  the  mat,  entered  the  lodge, 
where  he  found  thirty-two  persons,  chiefly  men  and 
women,  with  a few  children,  all  in  the  greatest  con- 


Down  the  Pacific  Slope 


199 


sternation ; some  hanging  down  their  heads,  others  crying 
and  wringing  their  hands.  He  went  up  to  them,  and 
shook  hands  with  each  one  in  the  most  friendly  manner; 
but  their  apprehensions,  which  had  for  a moment  sub- 
sided, revived  on  his  taking  out  a burning-glass,  as  there 
was  no  roof  to  the  house,  and  lighting  his  pipe:  he  then 
offered  it  to  several  of  the  men,  and  distributed  among 
the  women  and  children  some  small  trinkets  which  he 
had  with  him,  and  gradually  restored  a degree  of  tran- 
quillity among  them. 

“ Leaving  this  house,  and  directing  each  of  his  men  to 
visit  a house,  he  entered  a second.  Here  he  found  the 
inmates  more  terrified  than  those  in  the  first ; but  he  suc- 
ceeded in  pacifying  them,  and  afterward  went  into  the 
other  houses,  where  the  men  had  been  equally  successful. 
Retiring  from  the  houses,  he  seated  himself  on  a rock, 
and  beckoned  to  some  of  the  men  to  come  and  smoke 
with  him;  but  none  of  them  ventured  to  join  him  till 
the  canoes  arrived  with  the  two  chiefs,  who  immediately 
explained  our  pacific  intention  towards  them.  Soon  after 
the  interpreter’s  wife  [Sacajawea]  landed,  and  her  pres- 
ence dissipated  all  doubts  of  our  being  well-disposed, 
since  in  this  country  no  woman  ever  accompanies  a war 
party:  they  therefore  all  came  out,  and  seemed  perfectly 
reconciled;  nor  could  we,  indeed,  blame  them  for  their 
terrors,  which  were  perfectly  natural.  They  told  the  two 
chiefs  that  they  knew  we  were  not  men,  for  they  had  seen 
us  fall  from  the  clouds.  In  fact,  unperceived  by  them, 
Captain  Clark  had  shot  the  white  crane,  which  they  had 
seen  fall  just  before  he  appeared  to  their  eyes:  the  duck 
which  he  had  killed  also  fell  close  by  him ; and  as  there 
were  some  clouds  flying  over  at  the  moment,  they  con- 
nected the  fall  of  the  birds  with  his  sudden  appearance, 


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First  Across  the  Continent 


and  believed  that  he  had  himself  actually  dropped  from 
the  clouds;  considering  the  noise  of  the  rifle,  which  they 
had  never  heard  before,  the  sound  announcing  so  extraor- 
dinary an  event.  This  belief  was  strengthened,  when, 
on  entering  the  room,  he  brought  down  fire  from  the 
heavens  by  means  of  his  burning-glass.  We  soon  con- 
vinced them,  however,  that  we  were  merely  mortals; 
and  after  one  of  our  chiefs  had  explained  our  history  and 
objects,  we  all  smoked  together  in  great  harmony. 


Chapter  XVI 

Down  the  Columbia  to  Tidewater 


THE  voyagers  were  now  drifting  down  the  Columbia 
River,  and  they  found  the  way  impeded  by  many 
rapids,  some  of  them  very  dangerous.  But  their  skill  in 
the  handling  of  their  canoes  seems  to  have  been  equal  to 
the  occasion,  although  they  were  sometimes  compelled  to 
go  around  the  more  difficult  rapids,  making  a short  land 
portage.  When  they  had  travelled  about  forty  miles  down 
the  river,  they  landed  opposite  an  island  on  which  were 
twenty-four  houses  of  Indians ; the  people,  known  as  the 
Pishquitpahs,  were  engaged  in  drying  fish.  No  sooner 
had  the  white  men  landed  than  the  Indians,  to  the  number 
of  one  hundred,  came  across  the  stream  bringing  with  them 
some  firewood,  a most  welcome  present  in  that  treeless 
country.  The  visitors  were  entertained  with  presents  and 
a long  smoke  at  the  pipe  of  peace.  So  pleased  were  they 
with  the  music  of  two  violins  played  by  Cruzatte  and  Gib- 
son, of  the  exploring  party,  that  they  remained  by  the  fire 
of  the  white  men  all  night.  The  news  of  the  arrival  of  the 
white  strangers  soon  spread,  and  next  morning  about  two 
hundred  more  of  the  Indians  assembled  to  gaze  on  them. 
Later  in  the  day,  having  gotten  away  from  their  numerous 
inquisitive  visitors,  the  explorers  passed  down-stream  and 
landed  on  a small  island  to  examine  a curious  vault,  in 
which  were  placed  the  remains  of  the  dead  of  the  tribe. 
The  journal  says  : — 


202 


First  Across  the  Continent 


“ This  place,  in  which  the  dead  are  deposited,  is  a build- 
ing about  sixty  feet  long  and  twelve  feet  wide,  formed  by 
placing  in  the  ground  poles  or  forks  six  feet  high,  across 
which  a long  pole  is  extended  the  whole  length  of  the 
structure ; against  this  ridge-pole  are  placed  broad  boards 
and  pieces  of  canoes,  in  a slanting  direction,  so  as  to  form 
a shed.  It  stands  east  and  west,  and  neither  of  the  extrem- 
ities is  closed.  On  entering  the  western  end  we  observed 
a number  of  bodies  wrapped  carefully  in  leather  robes,  and 
arranged  in  rows  on  boards,  which  were  then  covered  with 
a mat.  This  was  the  part  destined  for  those  who  had  re- 
cently died ; a little  further  on,  bones  half  decayed  were 
scattered  about,  and  in  the  centre  of  the  building  was  a 
large  pile  of  them  heaped  promiscuously  on  each  other.  At 
the  eastern  extremity  was  a mat,  on  which  twenty-one 
skulls  were  placed  in  a circular  form ; the  mode  of  inter- 
ment being  first  to  wrap  the  body  in  robes,  then  as  it 
decays  to  throw  the  bones  into  the  heap,  and  place  the 
skulls  together.  From  the  different  boards  and  pieces  of 
canoes  which  form  the  vault  were  suspended,  on  the  inside, 
fishing-nets,  baskets,  wooden  bowls,  robes,  skins,  trenchers, 
and  trinkets  of  various  kinds,  obviously  intended  as  offer- 
ings of  affection  to  deceased  relatives.  On  the  outside 
of  the  vault  were  the  skeletons  of  several  horses,  and 
great  quantities  of  their  bones  were  in  the  neighbor- 
hood, which  induced  us  to  believe  that  these  animals  were 
most  probably  sacrificed  at  the  funeral  rites  of  their 
masters.” 

Just  below  this  stand  the  party  met  Indians  who  traded 
with  tribes  living  near  the  great  falls  of  the  Columbia. 
That  place  they  designated  as  “ Turn-turn,”  a word  that 
signifies  the  throbbing  of  the  heart.  One  of  these  Indians 
had  a sailor’s  jacket,  and  others  had  a blue  blanket  and  a 


Indian  Offerings  to  the  Dead 


Down  the  Columbia  to  Tidewater  203 


scarlet  blanket.  These  articles  had  found  their  way  up  the 
river  from  white  traders  on  the  seashore. 

On  the  twenty-first  of  October  the  explorers  discovered 
a considerable  stream  which  appeared  to  rise  in  the  south- 
east and  empty  into  the  Columbia  on  the  left.  To  this 
stream  they  gave  the  name  of  Lepage  for  Bastien  Lepage, 
one  of  the  voyageurs  accompanying  the  party.  The  water- 
course, however,  is  now  known  as  John  Day’s  River.  John 
Day  was  a mighty  hunter  and  backwoodsman  from  Ken- 
tucky who  went  across  the  continent,  six  years  later,  with 
a party  bound  for  Astoria,  on  the  Columbia.  From  the 
rapids  below  the  John  Day  River  the  Lewis  and  Clark  party 
caught  their  first  sight  of  Mount  Hood,  a famous  peak  of 
the  Cascade  range  of  mountains,  looming  up  in  the  south- 
west, eleven  thousand  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  feet 
high.  Next  day  they  passed  the  mouth  of  another  river 
entering  the  Columbia  from  the  south  and  called  by  the 
Indians  the  Towahnahiooks,  but  known  to  modern  geo- 
graphy as  the  Des  Chutes,  one  of  the  largest  southern 
tributaries  of  the  Columbia.  Five  miles  below  the  mouth 
of  this  stream  the  party  camped.  Near  them  was  a party 
of  Indians  engaged  in  drying  and  packing  salmon.  Their 
method  of  doing  this  is  thus  described : — 

“ The  manner  of  doing  this  is  by  first  opening  the  fish 
and  exposing  it  to  the  sun  on  scaffolds.  When  it  is  suffi- 
ciently dried  it  is  pounded  between  two  stones  till  it  is  pul- 
verized, and  is  then  placed  in  a basket  about  two  feet  long 
and  one  in  diameter,  neatly  made  of  grass  and  rushes,  and 
lined  with  the  skin  of  a salmon  stretched  and  dried  for  the 
purpose.  Here  the  fish  are  pressed  down  as  hard  as  pos- 
sible, and  the  top  is  covered  with  fish-skins,  which  are  se- 
cured by  cords  through  the  holes  of  the  basket.  These 
baskets  are  then  placed  in  some  dry  situation,  the  corded 


204 


First  Across  the  Continent 


part  upward,  seven  being  usually  placed  as  close  as  they 
can  be  put  together,  and  five  on  the  top  of  these.  The 
whole  is  then  wrapped  up  in  mats,  and  made  fast  by  cords, 
over  which  mats  are  again  thrown.  Twelve  of  these  bas- 
kets, each  of  which  contains  from  ninety  to  one  hundred 
pounds,  form  a stack,  which  is  left  exposed  till  it  is  sent  to 
market.  The  fish  thus  preserved  keep  sound  and  sweet 
for  several  years,  and  great  quantities,  they  inform  us,  are 
sent  to  the  Indians  who  live  below  the  falls,  whence  it  finds 
its  way  to  the  whites  who  visit  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia. 
We  observe,  both  near  the  lodges  and  on  the  rocks  in  the 
river,  great  numbers  of  stacks  of  these  pounded  fish. 
Besides  fish,  these  people  supplied  us  with  filberts  and 
berries,  and  we  purchased  a dog  for  supper;  but  it  was 
with  much  difficulty  that  we  were  able  to  buy  wood 
enough  to  cook  it.” 

On  the  twenty-third  the  voyagers  made  the  descent  of 
the  great  falls  which  had  so  long  been  an  object  of  dread 
to  them.  The  whole  height  of  the  falls  is  thirty-seven  feet, 
eight  inches,  in  a distance  of  twelve  hundred  yards.  A 
portage  of  four  hundred  and  fifty  yards  was  made  around 
the  first  fall,  which  is  twenty  feet  high,  and  perpendicular. 
By  means  of  lines  the  canoes  were  let  down  the  rapids 
below.  At  the  season  of  high  water  the  falls  become  mere 
rapids  up  which  the  salmon  can  pass.  On  this  point  the 
journal  says : — 

“ From  the  marks  everywhere  perceivable  at  the  falls,  it 
is  obvious  that  in  high  floods,  which  must  be  in  the  spring, 
the  water  below  the  falls  rises  nearly  to  a level  with  that 
above  them.  Of  this  rise,  which  is  occasioned  by  some  ob- 
structions which  we  do  not  as  yet  know,  the  salmon  must 
avail  themselves  to  pass  up  the  river  in  such  multitudes 
that  this  fish  is  almost  the  only  one  caught  in  great  abund- 


Down  the  Columbia  to  Tidewater  205 


ance  above  the  falls ; but  below  that  place  we  observe  the 
salmon-trout,  and  the  heads  of  a species  of  trout  smaller 
than  the  salmon-trout,  which  is  in  great  quantities,  and 
which  they  are  now  burying,  to  be  used  as  their  winter 
food.  A hole  of  any  size  being  dug,  the  sides  and  bot- 
tom are  lined  with  straw,  over  which  skins  are  laid ; on 
these  the  fish,  after  being  well  dried,  are  laid,  covered  with 
other  skins,  and  the  hole  is  closed  with  a layer  of  earth 
twelve  or  fifteen  inches  deep. 

“We  saw  no  game  except  a sea-otter,  which  was  shot  in 
the  narrow  channel  as  we  were  coming  down,  but  we  could 
not  get  it.  Having,  therefore,  scarcely  any  provisions,  we 
purchased  eight  small  fat  dogs : a food  to  which  we  were 
compelled  to  have  recourse,  as  the  Indians  were  very  un- 
willing to  sell  us  any  of  their  good  fish,  which  they  reserved 
for  the  market  below.  Fortunately,  however,  habit  had 
completely  overcome  the  repugnance  which  we  felt  at  first 
at  eating  this  animal,  and  the  dog,  if  not  a favorite  dish, 
was  always  an  acceptable  one.  The  meridian  altitude  of 
to-day  gave  450  42'  57.3"  north  as  the  latitude  of  our  camp. 

“ On  the  beach,  near  the  Indian  huts,  we  observed  two 
canoes  of  a different  shape  and  size  from  any  which  we 
had  hitherto  seen.  One  of  these  we  got  by  giving  our 
smallest  canoe,  a hatchet,  and  a few  trinkets  to  the  owner, 
who  said  he  had  obtained  it  from  a white  man  below  the 
falls  in  exchange  for  a horse.  These  canoes  were  very 
beautifully  made  : wide  in  the  middle,  and  tapering  towards 
each  end,  with  curious  figures  carved  on  the  bow.  They 
were  thin,  but,  being  strengthened  by  crossbars  about  an 
inch  in  diameter,  tied  with  strong  pieces  of  bark  through 
holes  in  the  sides,  were  able  to  bear  very  heavy  burdens, 
and  seemed  calculated  to  live  in  the  roughest  water.” 


206 


First  Across  the  Continent 


At  this  point  the  officers  of  the  expedition  observed  signs 
of  uneasiness  in  the  two  friendly  Indian  chiefs  who  had 
thus  far  accompanied  them.  They  also  heard  rumors  that 
the  warlike  Indians  below  them  were  meditating  an  attack 
as  the  party  went  down.  The  journal  says:  — 

“ Being  at  all  times  ready  for  any  attempt  of  that  sort, 
we  were  not  under  greater  apprehensions  than  usual  at  this 
intelligence.  We  therefore  only  re-examined  our  arms, 
and  increased  the  ammunition  to  one  hundred  rounds. 
Our  chiefs,  who  had  not  the  same  motives  of  confidence, 
were  by  no  means  so  much  at  their  ease,  and  when  at 
night  they  saw  the  Indians  leave  us  earlier  than  usual, 
their  suspicions  of  an  intended  attack  were  confirmed,  and 
they  were  very  much  alarmed. 

“ The  Indians  approached  us  with  apparent  caution,  and 
behaved  with  more  than  usual  reserve.  Our  two  chiefs, 
by  whom  these  circumstances  were  not  observed,  now  told 
us  that  they  wished  to  return  home ; that  they  could  be 
no  longer  of  any  service  to  us ; that  they  could  not  under- 
stand the  language  of  the  people  below  the  falls;  that 
those  people  formed  a different  nation  from  their  own  ; that 
the  two  people  had  been  at  war  with  each  other ; and  that 
as  the  Indians  had  expressed  a resolution  to  attack  us, 
they  would  certainly  kill  them.  We  endeavored  to  quiet 
their  fears,  and  requested  them  to  stay  two  nights  longer, 
in  which  time  we  would  see  the  Indians  below,  and  make  a 
peace  between  the  two  nations.  They  replied  that  they 
were  anxious  to  return  and  see  their  horses.  We  however 
insisted  on  their  remaining  with  us,  not  only  in  hopes  of 
bringing  about  an  accommodation  between  them  and  their 
enemies,  but  because  they  might  be  able  to  detect  any 
hostile  designs  against  us,  and  also  assist  us  in  passing  the 
next  falls,  which  are  not  far  off,  and  represented  as  very 


Down  the  Columbia  to  Tidewater  207 


difficult.  They  at  length  agreed  to  stay  with  us  two  nights 
longer.” 

The  explorers  now  arrived  at  the  next  fall  of  the  Co- 
lumbia. Here  was  a quiet  basin,  on  the  margin  of  which 
were  three  Indian  huts.  The  journal  tells  the  rest  of  the 
story : — 

“ At  the  extremity  of  this  basin  stood  a high  black  rock, 
which,  rising  perpendicularly  from  the  right  shore,  seemed 
to  run  wholly  across  the  river : so  totally,  indeed,  did  it 
appear  to  stop  the  passage,  that  we  could  not  see  where 
the  water  escaped,  except  that  the  current  was  seemingly 
drawn  with  more  than  usual  velocity  to  the  left  of  the 
rock,  where  was  heard  a great  roaring.  We  landed  at 
the  huts  of  the  Indians,  who  went  with  us  to  the  top  of  the 
rock,  from  which  we  had  a view  of  all  the  difficulties  of 
the  channel.  We  were  now  no  longer  at  a loss  to  account 
for  the  rising  of  the  river  at  the  falls ; for  this  tremendous 
rock  was  seen  stretching  across  the  river,  to  meet  the  high 
hills  on  the  left  shore,  leaving  a channel  of  only  forty-five 
yards  wide,  through  which  the  whole  body  of  the  Columbia 
pressed  its  way.  The  water,  thus  forced  into  so  narrow  a 
passage,  was  thrown  into  whirls,  and  swelled  and  boiled  in 
every  part  with  the  wildest  agitation.  But  the  alternative 
of  carrying  the  boats  over  this  high  rock  was  almost  im- 
possible in  our  present  situation ; and  as  the  chief  danger 
seemed  to  be,  not  from  any  obstructions  in  the  channel, 
but  from  the  great  waves  and  whirlpools,  we  resolved  to 
attempt  the  passage,  in  the  hope  of  being  able,  by  dexter- 
ous steering,  to  descend  in  safety.  This  we  undertook, 
and  with  great  care  were  able  to  get  through,  to  the 
astonishment  of  the  Indians  in  the  huts  we  had  just  passed, 
who  now  collected  to  see  us  from  the  top  of  the  rock. 
The  channel  continued  thus  confined  for  the  space  of  about 


208 


First  Across  the  Continent 


half  a mile,  when  the  rock  ceased.  We  passed  a single 
Indian  hut  at  the  foot  of  it,  where  the  river  again  enlarges 
to  the  width  of  two  hundred  yards,  and  at  the  distance  of  a 
mile  and  a half  stopped  to  view  a very  bad  rapid ; this  is 
formed  by  two  rocky  islands  which  divide  the  channel,  the 
lower  and  larger  of  which  is  in  the  middle  of  the  river.  The 
appearance  of  this  place  was  so  unpromising  that  we  un- 
loaded all  the  most  valuable  articles,  such  as  guns,  ammu- 
nition, our  papers,  etc.,  and  sent  them  by  land,  with  all  the 
men  that  could  not  swim,  to  the  extremity  of  these  rapids. 
We  then  descended  with  the  canoes,  two  at  a time ; 
though  the  canoes  took  in  some  water,  we  all  went 
through  safely;  after  which  we  made  two  miles,  stopped 
in  a deep  bend  of  the  river  toward  the  right,  and  camped 
a little  above  a large  village  of  twenty-one  houses.  Here 
we  landed ; and  as  it  was  late  before  all  the  canoes  joined 
us,  we  were  obliged  to  remain  this  evening,  the  difficulties 
of  the  navigation  having  permitted  us  to  make  only  six 
miles.” 

They  were  then  among  the  Echeloots,  a tribe  of  the 
Upper  Chinooks,  now  nearly  extinct.  The  white  men 
were  much  interested  in  the  houses  of  these  people,  which, 
their  journal  set  forth,  were  “ the  first  wooden  buildings 
seen  since  leaving  the  Illinois  country.”  This  is  the 
manner  of  their  construction  : — 

“ A large  hole,  twenty  feet  wide  and  thirty  in  length, 
was  dug  to  the  depth  of  six  feet ; the  sides  of  which  were 
lined  with  split  pieces  of  timber  rising  just  above  the 
surface  of  the  ground,  and  smoothed  to  the  same  width  by 
burning,  or  by  being  shaved  with  small  iron  axes.  These 
timbers  were  secured  in  their  erect  position  by  a pole 
stretched  along  the  side  of  the  building  near  the  eaves, 
and  supported  on  a strong  post  fixed  at  each  corner.  The 


Down  the  Columbia  to  Tidewater  209 


timbers  at  the  gable  ends  rose  gradually  higher,  the 
middle  pieces  being  the  broadest.  At  the  top  of  these 
was  a sort  of  semicircle,  made  to  receive  a ridge-pole  the 
whole  length  of  the  house,  propped  by  an  additional  post 
in  the  middle,  and  forming  the  top  of  the  roof.  From 
this  ridge-pole  to  the  eaves  of  the  house  were  placed  a 
number  of  small  poles  or  rafters,  secured  at  each  end  by 
fibres  of  the  cedar.  On  these  poles,  which  were  connected 
by  small  transverse  bars  of  wood,  was  laid  a covering  of 
white  cedar,  or  arbor  vitoe , kept  on  by  strands  of  cedar 
fibres;  but  a small  space  along  the  whole  length  of  the 
ridge-pole  was  left  uncovered,  for  the  purpose  of  light, 
and  of  permitting  the  smoke  to  pass  out.  The  roof,  thus 
formed,  had  a descent  about  equal  to  that  common  among 
us,  and  near  the  eaves  it  was  perforated  with  a number  of 
small  holes,  made,  most  probably,  for  the  discharge  of 
arrows  in  case  of  an  attack.  The  only  entrance  was  by  a 
small  door  at  the  gable  end,  cut  out  of  the  middle  piece  of 
timber,  twenty-nine  and  a half  inches  high,  fourteen  inches 
broad,  and  reaching  only  eighteen  inches  above  the  earth. 
Before  this  hole  is  hung  a mat;  on  pushing  it  aside  and 
crawling  through,  the  descent  is  by  a small  wooden  ladder, 
made  in  the  form  of  those  used  among  us.  One-half  of 
the  inside  is  used  as  a place  of  deposit  for  dried  fish,  of 
which  large  quantities  are  stored  away,  and  with  a few 
baskets  of  berries  form  the  only  family  provisions ; the 
other  half,  adjoining  the  door,  remains  for  the  accommo- 
dation of  the  family.  On  each  side  are  arranged  near  the 
walls  small  beds  of  mats  placed  on  little  scaffolds  or  bed- 
steads, raised  from  eighteen  inches  to  three  feet  from  the 
ground ; and  in  the  middle  of  the  vacant  space  is  the  fire, 
or  sometimes  two  or  three  fires,  when,  as  is  usually  the 
case,  the  house  contains  three  families.” 


H 


210 


First  Across  the  Continent 


Houses  very  like  these  are  built  by  the  Ahts  or  Nootkas, 
a tribe  of  Indians  inhabiting  parts  of  Vancouver  Island 
and  the  adjacent  mainland.  A Nootka  calls  his  house  an 
ourt . 

The  good  offices  of  Lewis  and  Clark,  who  were  always 
ready  to  make  peace  between  hostile  tribes,  were  again 
successful  here.  The  Echeloots  received  the  white  men 
with  much  kindness,  invited  them  to  their  houses,  and 
returned  their  visits  after  the  explorers  had  camped. 
Lewis  and  Clark  told  the  Echeloot  chiefs  that  the  war 
was  destroying  them  and  their  industries,  bringing  want 
and  privation  upon  them.  The  Indians  listened  with  at- 
tention to  what  was  said,  and  after  some  talk  they  agreed 
to  make  peace  with  their  ancient  enemies.  Impressed 
with  the  sincerity  of  this  agreement,  the  captains  of  the 
expedition  invested  the  principal  chief  with  a medal  and 
some  small  articles  of  clothing.  The  two  faithful  chiefs 
who  had  accompanied  the  white  men  from  the  headwaters 
of  the  streams  now  bade  farewell  to  their  friends  and 
allies,  the  explorers.  They  bought  horses  of  the  Eche- 
loots and  returned  to  their  distant  homes  by  land. 

Game  here  became  more  abundant,  and  on  the  twenty- 
sixth  of  October  the  journal  records  the  fact  that  they 
received  from  the  Indians  a present  of  deer-meat,  and  on 
that  day  their  hunters  found  plenty  of  tracks  of  elk  and 
deer  in  the  mountains,  and  they  brought  in  five  deer,  four 
very  large  gray  squirrels,  and  a grouse.  Besides  these  del- 
icacies, one  of  the  men  killed  in  the  river  a salmon-trout 
which  was  fried  in  bear’s  oil  and,  according  to  the  journal, 
“ furnished  a dish  of  a very  delightful  flavor,”  doubtless  a 
pleasing  change  from  the  diet  of  dog’s  flesh  with  which 
they  had  so  recently  been  regaled. 

Two  of  the  Echeloot  chiefs  remained  with  the  white 


Down  the  Columbia  to  Tidewater  21 1 


men  to  guide  them  on  their  way  down  the  river.  These 
were  joined  by  seven  others  of  their  tribe,  to  whom  the 
explorers  were  kind  and  attentive.  But  the  visitors  could 
not  resist  the  temptation  to  pilfer  from  the  goods  exposed 
to  dry  in  the  sun.  Being  checked  in  this  sly  business, 
they  became  ill-humored  and  returned,  angry,  down  the 
river. 

The  explorers  noticed  here  that  the  Indians  flattened 
the  heads  of  males  as  well  as  females.  Higher  up  the 
river,  only  the  women  and  female  children  had  flat  heads. 
The  custom  of  artificially  flattening  the  heads  of  both  men 
and  women,  in  infancy,  was  formerly  practised  by  nearly 
all  the  tribes  of  the  Chinook  family  along  the  Columbia 
River.  Various  means  are  used  to  accomplish  this  pur- 
pose, the  most  common  and  most  cruel  being  to  bind  a 
flat  board  on  the  forehead  of  an  infant  in  such  a way  that 
it  presses  on  the  skull  and  forces  the  forehead  up  on  to 
the  top  of  the  head.  As  a man  whose  head  has  been  flat- 
tened in  infancy  grows  older,  the  deformity  partly  disap- 
pears ; but  the  flatness  of  the  head  is  always  regarded  as  a 
tribal  badge  of  great  merit. 

“ On  the  morning  of  the  twenty-eighth,”  says  the  journal, 
“ having  dried  our  goods,  we  were  about  setting  out,  when 
three  canoes  came  from  above  to  visit  us,  and  at  the  same 
time  two  others  from  below  arrived  for  the  same  purpose. 
Among  these  last  was  an  Indian  who  wore  his  hair  in  a 
que,  and  had  on  a round  hat  and  a sailor’s  jacket,  which 
he  said  he  had  obtained  from  the  people  below  the  great 
rapids,  who  bought  them  from  the  whites.  This  interview 
detained  us  till  nine  o’clock,  when  we  proceeded  down  the 
river,  which  is  now  bordered  with  cliffs  of  loose  dark 
colored  rocks  about  ninety  feet  high,  with  a thin  covering 
of  pines  and  other  small  trees.  At  the  distance  of  four 


212 


First  Across  the  Continent 


miles  we  reached  a small  village  of  eight  houses  under 
some  high  rocks  on  the  right  with  a small  creek  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  river. 

“ We  landed  and  found  the  houses  similar  to  those  we 
had  seen  at  the  great  narrows ; on  entering  one  of  them 
we  saw  a British  musket,  a cutlass,  and  several  brass  tea- 
kettles, of  which  they  seemed  to  be  very  fond.  There 
were  figures  of  men,  birds,  and  different  animals,  which 
were  cut  and  painted  on  the  boards  which  form  the  sides 
of  the  room ; though  the  workmanship  of  these  uncouth 
figures  was  very  rough,  they  were  highly  esteemed  by 
the  Indians  as  the  finest  frescos  of  more  civilized  people. 
This  tribe  is  called  the  Chilluckittequaw ; their  language, 
though  somewhat  different  from  that  of  the  Echeloots,  has 
many  of  the  same  words,  and  is  sufficiently  intelligible 
to  the  neighboring  Indians.  We  procured  from  them  a 
vocabulary,  and  then,  after  buying  five  small  dogs,  some 
dried  berries,  and  a white  bread  or  cake  made  of  roots,  we 
left  them.  The  wind,  however,  rose  so  high  that  we  were 
obliged,  after  going  one  mile,  to  land  on  the  left  side,  op- 
posite a rocky  island,  and  pass  the  day.” 

On  the  same  day  the  white  chiefs  visited  one  of  the  most 
prominent  of  the  native  houses  built  along  the  river. 

“This,”  says  the  journal,  “was  the  residence  of  the 
principal  chief  of  the  Chilluckittequaw  nation,  who  we 
found  was  the  same  between  whom  and  our  two  chiefs  we 
had  made  a peace  at  the  Echeloot  village.  He  received 
us  very  kindly,  and  set  before  us  pounded  fish,  filberts, 
nuts,  the  berries  of  the  sacacommis , and  white  bread  made 
of  roots.  We  gave,  in  return,  a bracelet  of  ribbon  to  each 
of  the  women  of  the  house,  with  which  they  were  very 
much  pleased.  The  chief  had  several  articles,  such  as 
scarlet  and  blue  cloth,  a sword,  a jacket,  and  a hat,  which 


/ 


Flattening  a Chinook  Baby's  Head 


Down  the  Columbia  to  Tidewater  213 


must  have  been  procured  from  the  whites,  and  on  one  side 
of  the  room  were  two  wide,  split  boards,  placed  together  so 
as  to  make  space  for  a rude  figure  of  a man  cut  and 
painted  on  them.  On  pointing  to  this,  and  asking  him 
what  it  meant,  he  said  something,  of  which  all  that  we 
understood  was  ‘ good/  and  then  stepped  up  to  the  paint- 
ing, and  took  out  his  bow  and  quiver,  which,  with  some 
other  warlike  instruments,  were  kept  behind  it. 

“ He  then  directed  his  wife  to  hand  him  his  medicine- 
bag,  from  which  he  drew  out  fourteen  forefingers,  which 
he  told  us  had  belonged  to  the  same  number  of  his  ene- 
mies, whom  he  had  killed  in  fighting  with  the  nations  to 
the  southeast,  in  which  direction  he  pointed ; alluding,  no 
doubt,  to  the  Snake  Indians,  the  common  enemy  of  the 
tribes  on  the  Columbia.  This  bag  is  usually  about  two 
feet  in  length,  and  contains  roots,  pounded  dirt,  etc.,  which 
only  the  Indians  know  how  to  appreciate.  It  is  sus- 
pended in  the  middle  of  the  lodge ; and  it  is  considered  as 
a species  of  sacrilege  for  any  one  but  the  owner  to  touch 
it  It  is  an  object  of  religious  fear  ; and,  from  its  supposed 
sanctity,  is  the  chief  place  for  depositing  their  medals  and 
more  valuable  articles.  They  have  likewise  small  bags, 
which  they  preserve  in  their  great  medicine-bag,  from 
whence  they  are  taken,  and  worn  around  their  waists  and 
necks  as  amulets  against  any  real  or  imaginary  evils. 
This  was  the  first  time  we  had  been  apprised  that  the 
Indians  ever  carried  from  the  field  any  other  trophy  than 
the  scalp.  These  fingers  were  shown  with  great  exultation  ; 
and,  after  an  harangue,  which  we  were  left  to  presume 
was  in  praise  of  his  exploits,  the  chief  carefully  replaced 
them  among  the  valuable  contents  of  his  red  medicine- 
bag.  The  inhabitants  of  this  village  being  part  of  the 
same  nation  with  those  of  the  village  we  had  passed  above, 


214 


First  Across  the  Continent 


the  language  of  the  two  was  the  same,  and  their  houses 
were  of  similar  form  and  materials,  and  calculated  to  con- 
tain about  thirty  souls.  They  were  unusually  hospitable 
and  good-humored,  so  that  we  gave  to  the  place  the 
name  of  the  Friendly  village.  We  breakfasted  here;  and 
after  purchasing  twelve  dogs,  four  sacks  of  fish,  and  a few 
dried  berries,  proceeded  on  our  journey.  The  hills  as  we 
passed  were  high,  with  steep,  rocky  sides,  with  pine  and 
white  oak,  and  an  undergrowth  of  shrubs  scattered  over 
them.” 

Leaving  the  Friendly  village,  the  party  went  on  their 
way  down  the  river.  Four  miles  below  they  came  to  a 
small  and  rapid  river  which  they  called  the  Cataract  River, 
but  which  is  now  known  as  the  Klikitat.  The  rapids  of 
the  stream,  according  to  the  Indians,  were  so  numerous 
that  salmon  could  not  ascend  it,  and  the  Indians  who  lived 
along  its  banks  subsisted  on  what  game  they  could  kill 
with  their  bows  and  arrows  and  on  the  berries  which,  in 
certain  seasons,  were  plentiful.  Again  we  notice  the  pur- 
chase of  dogs ; this  time  only  four  were  bought,  and  the 
party  proceeded  on  their  way.  That  night,  having  travelled 
thirty-two  miles,  they  camped  on  the  right  bank  of  the 
river  in  what  is  now  Skamania  County,  Washington. 
Three  huts  were  inhabited  by  a considerable  number  of 
Indians,  of  whom  the  journal  has  this  to  say : — 

“ On  our  first  arrival  they  seemed  surprised,  but  not 
alarmed,  and  we  soon  became  intimate  by  means  of  smok- 
ing and  our  favorite  entertainment  for  the  Indians,  the 
violin.  They  gave  us  fruit,  roots,  and  root-bread,  and  we 
purchased  from  them  three  dogs.  The  houses  of  these 
people  are  similar  to  those  of  the  Indians  above,  and  their 
language  is  the  same ; their  dress  also,  consisting  of  robes 
or  skins  of  wolves,  deer,  elk,  and  wildcat,  is  made  nearly 


Down  the  Columbia  to  Tidewater  215 


after  the  same  model;  their  hair  is  worn  in  plaits  down 
each  shoulder,  and  round  their  neck  is  put  a strip  of  some 
skin  with  the  tail  of  the  animal  hanging  down  over  the 
breast ; like  the  Indians  above,  they  are  fond  of  otter-skins, 
and  give  a great  price  for  them.  We  here  saw  the  skin  of 
a mountain  sheep,  which  they  say  lives  among  the  rocks 
in  the  mountains ; the  skin  was  covered  with  white  hair ; 
the  wool  was  long,  thick,  and  coarse,  with  long  coarse  hair 
on  the  top  of  the  neck  and  on  the  back,  resembling  some- 
what the  bristles  of  a goat.  Immediately  behind  the  village 
is  a pond,  in  which  were  great  numbers  of  small  swan.” 

The  “ mountain  sheep  ” mentioned  here  are  not  the  big- 
horn of  which  we  have  heard  something  in  the  earlier  part 
of  this  narrative,  but  a species  of  wild  goat  found  among 
the  Cascade  Mountains.  The  “ wildcat  ” above  referred 
to  is  probably  that  variety  of  lynx  known  in  Canada  and 
most  of  the  Northern  States  and  the  Pacific  as  the  lonp- 
cervier , or  vulgarly,  the  “ lucifee.” 

On  the  last  day  of  October,  the  next  of  the  more  diffi- 
cult rapids  being  near,  Captain  Clark  went  ahead  to  ex- 
amine the  “ shoot,”  as  the  explorers  called  the  place  which 
we  know  as  the  chute.  In  the  thick  wood  that  bordered 
the  river  he  found  an  ancient  burial-place  which  he  thus 
describes : — 

“ It  consists  of  eight  vaults  made  of  pine  or  cedar  boards 
closely  connected,  about  eight  feet  square  and  six  in 
height ; the  top  covered  with  wide  boards  sloping  a little, 
so  as  to  convey  off  the  rain.  The  direction  of  all  of  these 
vaults  is  east  and  west,  the  door  being  on  the  eastern  side, 
partially  stopped  with  wide  boards  decorated  with  rude 
pictures  of  men  and  other  animals.  On  entering  he  found 
in  some  of  them  four  dead  bodies,  carefully  wrapped  in 
skins,  tied  with  cords  of  grass  and  bark,  lying  on  a mat,  in 


2l6 


First  Across  the  Continent 


a direction  east  and  west.  The  other  vaults  contained 
only  bones,  which  were  in  some  of  them  piled  to  the  height 
of  four  feet.  On  the  tops  of  the  vaults,  and  on  poles 
attached  to  them,  hung  brass  kettles  and  frying-pans  with 
holes  in  their  bottoms,  baskets,  bowls,  sea-shells,  skins, 
pieces  of  cloth,  hair,  bags  of  trinkets  and  small  bones  — 
the  offerings  of  friendship  or  affection,  which  have  been 
saved  by  a pious  veneration  from  the  ferocity  of  war,  or 
the  more  dangerous  temptations  of  individual  gain.  The 
whole  of  the  walls  as  well  as  the  door  were  decorated  with 
strange  figures  cut  and  painted  on  them ; and  besides 
were  several  wooden  images  of  men,  some  so  old  and 
decayed  as  to  have  almost  lost  their  shape,  which  were  all 
placed  against  the  sides  of  the  vaults.  These  images,  as 
well  as  those  in  the  houses  we  have  lately  seen,  do  not 
appear  to  be  at  all  the  objects  of  adoration ; in  this  place 
they  were  most  probably  intended  as  resemblances  of  those 
whose  decease  they  indicate ; when  we  observe  them  in 
houses,  they  occupy  the  most  conspicuous  part,  but  are 
treated  more  like  ornaments  than  objects  of  worship.” 

The  white  men  were  visited  at  their  camp  by  many 
Indians  from  the  villages  farther  up  the  stream.  The 
journal  says : — 

“We  had  an  opportunity  of  seeing  to-day  the,  hardihood 
of  the  Indians  of  the  neighboring  village.  One  of  the  men 
shot  a goose,  which  fell  into  the  river  and  was  floating  rapidly 
toward  the  great  shoot,  when  an  Indian  observing  it  plunged 
in  after  it.  The  whole  mass  of  the  waters  of  the  Columbia, 
just  preparing  to  descend  its  narrow  channel,  carried  the  ani- 
mal down  with  great  rapidity.  The  Indian  followed  it  fear- 
lessly to  within  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  of  the  rocks,  where 
he  would  inevitably  have  been  dashed  to  pieces ; but  seiz- 
ing his  prey  he  turned  round  and  swam  ashore  with  great 


Down  the  Columbia  to  Tidewater  217 


composure.  We  very  willingly  relinquished  our  right  to 
the  bird  in  favor  of  the  Indian  who  had  thus  saved  it  at 
the  imminent  hazard  of  his  life;  he  immediately  set  to 
work  and  picked  off  about  half  the  feathers,  and  then, 
without  opening  it,  ran  a stick  through  it  and  carried  it 
off  to  roast.” 

With  many  hair’s-breadth  escapes,  the  expedition  now 
passed  through  the  rapids  or  “ great  shoot.”  The  river  here 
is  one  hundred  and  fifty  yards  wide  and  the  rapids  are  con- 
fined to  an  area  four  hundred  yards  long,  crowded  with 
islands  and  rocky  ledges.  They  found  the  Indians  living 
along  the  banks  of  the  stream  to  be  kindly  disposed ; but 
they  had  learned,  by  their  intercourse  with  tribes  living 
below,  to  set  a high  value  on  their  wares.  They  asked 
high  prices  for  anything  they  had  for  sale.  The  journal 
says : — 

“We  cannot  learn  precisely  the  nature  of  the  trade 
carried  on  by  the  Indians  with  the  inhabitants  below.  But 
as  their  knowledge  of  the  whites  seems  to  be  very  imper- 
fect, and  as  the  only  articles  which  they  carry  to  market, 
such  as  pounded  fish,  bear-grass,  and  roots,  cannot  be  an 
object  of  much  foreign  traffic,  their  intercourse  appears  to 
be  an  intermediate  trade  with  the  natives  near  the  mouth 
of  the  Columbia.  From  them  these  people  obtain,  in  ex- 
change for  their  fish,  roots,  and  bear-grass,  blue  and  white 
beads,  copper  tea-kettles,  brass  armbands,  some  scarlet  and 
blue  robes,  and  a few  articles  of  old  European  clothing. 
But  their  great  object  is  to  obtain  beads,  an  article  which 
holds  the  first  place  in  their  ideas  of  relative  value,  and  to 
procure  which  they  will  sacrifice  their  last  article  of  cloth- 
ing or  last  mouthful  of  food.  Independently  of  their  fond- 
ness for  them  as  an  ornament,  these  beads  are  the  medium 
of  trade,  by  which  they  obtain  from  the  Indians  still  higher 


First  Across  the  Continent 


218 


up  the  river,  robes,  skins,  chappelel  bread,  bear-grass,  etc. 
Those  Indians  in  turn  employ  them  to  procure  from  the 
Indians  in  the  Rocky  Mountains,  bear-grass,  pachico-roots, 
robes,  etc. 

“ These  Indians  are  rather  below  the  common  size,  with 
high  cheek-bones;  their  noses  are  pierced,  and  in  full 
dress  ornamented  with  a tapering  piece  of  white  shell  or 
wampum  about  two  inches  long.  Their  eyes  are  exceed- 
ingly sore  and  weak ; many  of  them  have  only  a single 
eye,  and  some  are  perfectly  blind.  Their  teeth  prematurely 
decay,  and  in  frequent  instances  are  altogether  worn  away. 
Their  general  health,  however,  seems  to  be  good,  the  only 
disorder  we  have  remarked  being  tumors  in  different  parts 
of  the  body.” 

The  more  difficult  rapid  was  passed  on  the  second  day  of 
November,  the  luggage  being  sent  down  by  land  and  the 
empty  canoes  taken  down  with  great  care.  The  journal 
of  that  date  says : — 

“ The  rapid  we  have  just  passed  is  the  last  of  all  the 
descents  of  the  Columbia.  At  this  place  the  first  tide- 
water commences,  and  the  river  in  consequence  widens 
immediately  below  the  rapid.  As  we  descended  we 
reached,  at  the  distance  of  one  mile  from  the  rapid, 
a creek  under  a bluff  on  the  left;  at  three  miles  is  the 
lower  point  of  Strawberry  Island.  To  this  immediately 
succeed  three  small  islands  covered  with  wood.  In  the 
meadow  to  the  right,  at  some  distance  from  the  hills, 
stands  a perpendicular  rock  about  eight  hundred  feet  high 
and  four  hundred  yards  around  the  base.  This  we  called 
Beacon  Rock.  Just  below  is  an  Indian  village  of  nine  houses, 
situated  between  two  small  creeks.  At  this  village  the 
river  widens  to  nearly  a mile  in  extent ; the  low  grounds 
become  wider,  and  they  as  well  as  the  mountains  on  each 


Down  the  Columbia  to  Tidewater  219 


side  are  covered  with  pine,  spruce-pine,  cottonwood,  a 
species  of  ash,  and  some  alder.  After  being  so  long  accus- 
tomed to  the  dreary  nakedness  of  the  country  above,  the 
change  is  as  grateful  to  the  eye  as  it  is  useful  in  supplying 
us  with  fuel.  Four  miles  from  the  village  is  a point  of 
land  on  the  right,  where  the  hills  become  lower,  but  are 
still  thickly  timbered.  The  river  is  now  about  two  miles 
wide,  the  current  smooth  and  gentle,  and  the  effect  of  the 
tide  has  been  sensible  since  leaving  the  rapid.  Six  miles 
lower  is  a rock  rising  from  the  middle  of  the  river  to  the 
height  of  one  hundred  feet,  and  about  eighty  yards  at  its 
base.  We  continued  six  miles  further,  and  halted  for  the 
night  under  a high  projecting  rock  on  the  left  side  of  the 
river,  opposite  the  point  of  a large  meadow. 

“The  mountains,  which,  from  the  great  shoot  to  this 
place,  are  high,  rugged,  and  thickly  covered  with  timber, 
chiefly  of  the  pine  species,  here  leave  the  river  on  each  side ; 
the  river  becomes  two  and  one-half  miles  in  width ; the  low 
grounds  are  extensive  and  well  supplied  with  wood.  The 
Indians  whom  we  left  at  the  portage  passed  us  on  their 
way  down  the  river,  and  seven  others,  who  were  descending 
in  a canoe  for  the  purpose  of  trading  below,  camped  with 
us.  We  had  made  from  the  foot  of  the  great  shoot  twenty- 
nine  miles  to-day.  The  ebb  tide  rose  at  our  camp  about 
nine  inches;  the  flood  must  rise  much  higher.  We  saw 
great  numbers  of  water-fowl,  such  as  swan,  geese,  ducks  of 
various  kinds,  gulls,  plovers,  and  the  white  and  gray  brant, 
of  which  last  we  killed  eighteen.” 


Chapter  XVII 

From  Tidewater  to  the  Sea 

NrEAR  the  mouth  of  the  river  which  the  explorers 
named  Quicksand  River  (now  Sandy),  they  met  a 
party  of  fifteen  Indians  who  had  lately  been  down  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Columbia.  These  people  told  the  white  men 
that  they  had  seen  three  vessels  at  anchor  below,  and,  as 
these  must  needs  be  American,  or  European,  the  far-voy- 
aging explorers  were  naturally  pleased.  When  they  had 
camped  that  night,  they  received  other  visitors  of  whom 
the  journal  makes  mention : — 

“ A canoe  soon  after  arrived  from  the  village  at  the  foot 
of  the  last  rapid,  with  an  Indian  and  his  family,  consisting 
of  a wife,  three  children,  and  a woman  who  had  been  taken 
prisoner  from  the  Snake  Indians,  living  on  a river  from 
the  south,  which  we  afterward  found  to  be  the  Multnomah. 
Sacajawea  was  immediately  introduced  to  her,  in  hopes 
that,  being  a Snake  Indian,  they  might  understand  each 
other;  but  their  language  was  not  sufficiently  intelligible 
to  permit  them  to  converse  together.  The  Indian  had  a 
gun  with  a brass  barrel  and  cock,  which  he  appeared  to 
value  highly.” 

The  party  had  missed  the  Multnomah  River  in  their  way 
down,  although  this  is  one  of  the  three  largest  tributaries 
of  the  Columbia,  John  Day’s  River  and  the  Des  Chutes 
being  the  other  two.  A group  of  islands  near  the  mouth 
of  the  Multnomah  hides  it  from  the  view  of  the  passing 
yoyager.  The  stream  is  now  more  generally  known  as 


From  Tidewater  to  the  Sea 


221 


the  Willamette,  or  Wallamet.  The  large  city  of  Portland, 
Oregon,  is  built  on  the  river,  about  twelve  miles  from  its 
junction  with  the  Columbia.  The  Indian  tribes  along  the 
banks  of  the  Multnomah,  or  Willamette,  subsisted  largely 
on  the  wappatoo,  an  eatable  root,  about  the  size  of  a hen’s 
egg  and  closely  resembling  a potato.  This  root  is  much 
sought  after  by  the  Indians  and  is  eagerly  bought  by  tribes 
living  in  regions  where  it  is  not  to  be  found.  The  party 
made  great  use  of  the  wappatoo  after  they  had  learned 
how  well  it  served  in  place  of  bread.  They  bought  here 
all  that  the  Indians  could  spare  and  then  made  their  way 
down  the  river  to  an  open  prairie  where  they  camped  for 
dinner  and  found  many  signs  of  elk  and  deer.  The  journal 
says : — 

“ When  we  landed  for  dinner,  a number  of  Indians  from 
the  last  village  came  down  for  the  purpose,  as  we  sup- 
posed, of  paying  us  a friendly  visit,  as  they  had  put  on 
their  favorite  dresses.  In  addition  to  their  usual  covering 
they  had  scarlet  and  blue  blankets,  sailors’  jackets  and 
trousers,  shirts  and  hats.  They  had  all  of  them  either  war- 
axes,  spears,  and  bows  and  arrows,  or  muskets  and  pistols, 
with  tin  powder-flasks.  We  smoked  with  them  and  en- 
deavored to  show  them  every  attention,  but  we  soon  found 
them  very  assuming  and  disagreeable  companions.  While 
we  were  eating,  they  stole  the  pipe  with  which  they  were 
smoking,  and  the  greatcoat  of  one  of  the  men.  We  im- 
mediately searched  them  all,  and  discovered  the  coat 
stuffed  under  the  root  of  a tree  near  where  they  were 
sitting;  but  the  pipe  we  could  not  recover.  Finding  us 
determined  not  to  suffer  any  imposition,  and  discontented 
with  them,  they  showed  their  displeasure  in  the  only  way 
which  they  dared,  by  returning  in  an  ill-humor  to  their 
village. 


222 


First  Across  the  Continent 


“We  then  proceeded  and  soon  met  two  canoes,  with 
twelve  men  of  the  same  Skilloot  nation,  who  were  on  their 
way  from  below.  The  larger  of  the  canoes  was  ornamented 
with  the  figure  of  a bear  in  the  bow  and  a man  in  the  stern, 
both  nearly  as  large  as  life,  both  made  of  painted  wood 
and  very  neatly  fixed  to  the  boat.  In  the  same  canoe 
were  two  Indians,  finely  dressed  and  with  round  hats. 
This  circumstance  induced  us  to  give  the  name  of  Image- 
canoe  to  the  large  island,  the  lower  end  of  which  we  now 
passed  at  the  distance  of  nine  miles  from  its  head.” 

Here  they  had  their  first  full  view  of  Mt.  St.  Helen’s, 
sometimes  called  Mt.  Ranier.  The  peak  is  in  Washington 
and  is  9,750  feet  high.  It  has  a sugar-loaf,  or  conical, 
shape  and  is  usually  covered  with  snow.  The  narrative  of 
the  expedition  continues  as  follows  : — 

“ The  Skilloots  that  we  passed  to-day  speak  a language 
somewhat  different  from  that  of  the  Echeloots  or  Chilluc- 
kittequaws  near  the  long  narrows.  Their  dress,  however,  is 
similar,  except  that  the  Skilloots  possess  more  articles  pro- 
cured from  the  white  traders;  and  there  is  this  farther 
difference  between  them,  that  the  Skilloots,  both  males  and 
females,  have  the  head  flattened.  Their  principal  food 
is  fish,  wappatoo  roots,  and  some  elk  and  deer,  in  killing 
which  with  arrows  they  seem  to  be  very  expert ; for  during 
the  short  time  we  remained  at  the  village,  three  deer  were 
brought  in.  We  also  observed  there  a tame  blaireau, 
[badger].” 

The  journal,  November  5,  says:  — 

“ Our  choice  of  a camp  had  been  very  unfortunate ; for 
on  a sand-island  opposite  us  were  immense  numbers  of 
geese,  swan,  ducks,  and  other  wild  fowl,  which  during  the 
whole  night  serenaded  us  with  a confusion  of  noises  which 
completely  prevented  our  sleeping.  During  the  latter 


Multnomah  Falls,  Columbia  River 


From  Tidewater  to  the  Sea 


223 


part  of  the  night  it  rained,  and  we  therefore  willingly  left 
camp  at  an  early  hour.  We  passed  at  three  miles  a small 
prairie,  where  the  river  is  only  three-quarters  of  a mile  in 
width,  and  soon  after  two  houses  on  the  left,  half  a mile 
distant  from  each  other;  from  one  of  which  three  men 
came  in  a canoe  merely  to  look  at  us,  and  having  done  so 
returned  home.  At  eight  miles  we  came  to  the  lower 
point  of  an  island,  separated  from  the  right  side  by  a 
narrow  channel,  on  which,  a short  distance  above  the  end 
of  the  island,  is  situated  a large  village.  It  is  built  more 
compactly  than  the  generality  of  the  Indian  villages,  and 
the  front  has  fourteen  houses,  which  are  ranged  for  a 
quarter  of  a mile  along  the  channel.  As  soon  as  we  were 
discovered  seven  canoes  came  out  to  see  us,  and  after 
some  traffic,  during  which  they  seemed  well  disposed  and 
orderly,  accompanied  us  a short  distance  below.” 

The  explorers  now  met  Indians  of  a different  nation  from 
those  whom  they  had  seen  before.  The  journal  says : — 

“ These  people  seem  to  be  of  a different  nation  from 
those  we  have  just  passed ; they  are  low  in  stature,  ill 
shaped,  and  all  have  their  heads  flattened.  They  call 
themselves  Wahkiacum,  and  their  language  differs  from 
that  of  the  tribes  above,  with  whom  they  trade  for  wappa- 
too-roots.  The  houses  are  built  in  a different  style,  being 
raised  entirely  above  ground,  with  the  eaves  about  five 
feet  high  and  the  door  at  the  corner.  Near  the  end, 
opposite  this  door,  is  a single  fireplace,  round  which  are 
the  beds,  raised  four  feet  from  the  floor  of  earth ; over  the 
fire  are  hung  the  fresh  fish,  which,  when  dried,  are  stowed 
away  with  the  wappatoo-roots  under  the  beds.  The  dress 
of  the  men  is  like  that  of  the  people  above,  but  the  women 
are  clad  in  a peculiar  manner,  the  robe  not  reaching  lower 
than  the  hip,  and  the  body  being  covered  in  cold  weather 


224 


First  Across  the  Continent 


by  a sort  of  corset  of  fur,  curiously  plaited  and  reaching 
from  the  arms  to  the  hip ; added  to  this  is  a sort  of  petti- 
coat, or  rather  tissue  of  white  cedar  bark,  bruised  or 
broken  into  small  strands,  and  woven  into  a girdle  by 
several  cords  of  the  same  material.  Being  tied  round  the 
middle,  these  strands  hang  down  as  low  as  the  knee  in  front, 
and  to  the  mid-leg  behind  ; they  are  of  sufficient  thickness 
to  answer  the  purpose  of  concealment  whilst  the  female 
stands  in  an  erect  position,  but  in  any  other  attitude  form 
but  a very  ineffectual  defence.  Sometimes  the  tissue  is 
strings  of  silk-grass,  twisted  and  knotted  at  the  end.  After 
remaining  with  them  about  an  hour,  we  proceeded  down 
the  channel  with  an  Indian  dressed  in  a sailor’s  jacket  for 
our  pilot,  and  on  reaching  the  main  channel  were  visited 
by  some  Indians  who  have  a temporary  residence  on  a 
marshy  island  in  the  middle  of  the  river,  where  is  a great 
abundance  of  water-fowl.” 

The  tribe  of  Indians  known  as  the  Wahkiacums  has 
entirely  disappeared  ; but  the  name  survives  as  that  of  one 
of  the  counties  of  Washington  bordering  on  the  Columbia. 
Wahkiacum  is  the  county  lying  next  west  of  Cowlitz. 
When  the  explorers  passed  down  the  river  under  the 
piloting  of  their  Indian  friend  wearing  a sailor’s  jacket, 
they  were  in  a thick  fog.  This  cleared  away  and  a sight 
greeted  their  joyful  vision.  Their  story  says:  — 

“ At  a distance  of  twenty  miles  from  our  camp,  we 
halted  at  a village  of  Wahkiacums,  consisting  of  seven  ill- 
looking  houses,  built  in  the  same  form  with  those  above, 
and  situated  at  the  foot  of  the  high  hills  on  the  right,  be- 
hind two  small  marshy  islands.  We  merely  stopped  to 
purchase  some  food  and  two  beaver  skins,  and  then  pro- 
ceeded. Opposite  to  these  islands  the  hills  on  the  left 
retire,  and  the  river  widens  into  a kind  of  bay,  crowded 


From  Tidewater  to  the  Sea 


225 


with  low  islands,  subject  to  be  overflowed  occasionally  by 
the  tide.  We  had  not  gone  far  from  this  village  when,  the 
fog  suddenly  clearing  away,  we  were  at  last  presented  with 
the  glorious  sight  of  the  ocean  — that  ocean,  the  object  of 
all  our  labors,  the  reward  of  all  our  anxieties.  This  ani- 
mating sight  exhilarated  the  spirits  of  all  the  party,  who 
were  still  more  delighted  on  hearing  the  distant  roar  of  the 
breakers.  We  went  on  with  great  cheerfulness  along  the 
high,  mountainous  country  which  bordered  the  right  bank : 
the  shore,  however,  was  so  bold  and  rocky,  that  we  could 
not,  until  at  a distance  of  fourteen  miles  from  the  last  vil- 
lage, find  any  spot  fit  for  an  encampment.  Having  made 
during  the  day  thirty-four  miles,  we  now  spread  our  mats 
on  the  ground,  and  passed  the  night  in  the  rain.  Here  we 
were  joined  by  our  small  canoe,  which  had  been  separated 
from  us  during  the  fog  this  morning.  Two  Indians  from 
the  last  village  also  accompanied  us  to  the  camp ; but, 
having  detected  them  in  stealing  a knife,  they  were  sent 
off.” 

It  is  not  very  easy  for  us,  who  have  lived  comfortably  at 
home,  or  who  have  travelled  only  in  luxurious  railway-cars 
and  handsomely  equipped  steamers,  to  realize  the  joy  and 
rapture  with  which  these  far-wandering  explorers  hailed 
the  sight  of  the  sea,  — the  sea  to  which  they  had  so  long 
been  journeying,  through  deserts,  mountain-passes,  and 
tangled  wildernesses.  In  his  diary  Captain  Clark  thus  sets 
down  some  indication  of  his  joy  on  that  memorable  day, 
November  8,  1805:  “Great  joy  in  camp.  We  are  in 
view  of  the  Ocean,  this  great  Pacific  Ocean  which  we  have 
been  so  long  anxious  to  see,  and  the  roaring  or  noise  made 
by  the  waves  breaking  on  the  rocky  shores  (as  I suppose) 
may  be  heard  distinctly.”  Later,  same  day,  he  says, 
“ Ocean  in  view  ! O ! the  joy ! ” Fortunately,  the  hard- 

15 


226 


First  Across  the  Continent 


ships  to  be  undergone  on  the  shores  of  the  ocean  were 
then  unknown  and  undreamed  of ; the  travellers  were 
thankful  to  see  the  sea,  the  goal  of  all  their  hopes,  the 
end  of  their  long  pilgrimage  across  the  continent. 

That  night  they  camped  near  the  mouth  of  the  river  in 
what  is  now  known  as  Gray’s  Bay,  on  the  north  side  of  the 
river,  in  the  southwest  corner  of  Wahkiacum  County.  Be- 
fore they  could  reach  their  camping-place,  the  water  was 
so  rough  that  some  of  the  men  had  an  unusual  experience, 
— seasickness.  They  passed  a disagreeable  night  on  a 
narrow,  rocky  bench  of  land.  Next  day  they  say: 

“ Fortunately  for  us,  the  tide  did  not  rise  as  high  as  our 
camp  during  the  night;  but  being  accompanied  by  high 
winds  from  the  south,  the  canoes,  which  we  could  not  place 
beyond  its  reach,  were  filled  with  water,  and  were  saved 
with  much  difficulty.  Our  position  was  very  uncomfort- 
able, but  as  it  was  impossible  to  move  from  it,  we  waited  for 
a change  of  weather.  It  rained,  however,  during  the  whole 
day,  and  at  two  o’clock  in  the  afternoon  the  flood  tide  set 
in,  accompanied  by  a high  wind  from  the  south,  which, 
about  four  o’clock,  shifted  to  the  southwest  and  blew 
almost  a gale  directly  from  the  sea.  The  immense  waves 
now  broke  over  the  place  where  we  were  camped ; the 
large  trees,  some  of  them  five  or  six  feet  thick,  which  had 
lodged  at  the  point,  were  drifted  over  our  camp,  and  the 
utmost  vigilance  of  every  man  could  scarcely  save  our 
canoes  from  being  crushed  to  pieces.  We  remained  in  the 
water,  and  drenched  with  rain,  during  the  rest  of  the  day, 
our  only  food  being  some  dried  fish  and  some  rain-water 
which  we  caught.  Yet,  though  wet  and  cold,  and  some  of 
them  sick  from  using  salt  water,  the  men  were  cheerful, 
and  full  of  anxiety  to  see  more  of  the  ocean.  The  rain 
continued  all  night.” 


From  Tidewater  to  the  Sea 


227 


This  was  the  beginning  of  troubles.  Next  day,  the  wind 
having  lulled,  the  party  set  forth  again,  only  to  be  beaten 
back  and  compelled  to  take  to  the  shore  again.  This  was 
their  experience  for  several  days.  For  example,  under 
date  of  the  eleventh  the  journal  says : — 

“ The  wind  was  still  high  from  the  southwest,  and  drove 
the  waves  against  the  shore  with  great  fury ; the  rain  too 
fell  in  torrents,  and  not  only  drenched  us  to  the  skin,  but 
loosened  the  stones  on  the  hillsides,  which  then  came  rolling 
down  upon  us.  In  this  comfortless  situation  we  remained 
all  day,  wet,  cold,  with  nothing  but  dried  fish  to  satisfy  our 
hunger ; the  canoes  in  one  place  at  the  mercy  of  the  waves, 
the  baggage  in  another,  and  all  the  men  scattered  on  float- 
ing  logs,  or  sheltering  themselves  in  the  crevices  of  the 
rocks  and  hillsides.  A hunter  was  despatched  in  hopes  of 
finding  some  fresh  meat;  but  the  hills  were  so  steep,  and 
so  covered  with  undergrowth  and  fallen  timber,  that  he 
could  not  penetrate  them,  and  he  was  forced  to  return.” 
And  this  is  the  record  for  the  next  day : — 

“ About  three  o’clock  a tremendous  gale  of  wind  arose, 
accompanied  with  lightning,  thunder,  and  hail:  at  six  it 
lightened  up  for  a short  time,  but  a violent  rain  soon  be- 
gan, and  lasted  through  the  day.  During  the  storm,  one 
of  our  boats,  secured  by  being  sunk  with  great  quantities 
of  stone,  got  loose,  but,  drifting  against  a rock,  was  re- 
covered without  having  received  much  injury.  Our  situa- 
tion now  became  much  more  dangerous,  for  the  waves 
were  driven  with  fury  against  the  rocks  and  trees,  which  till 
now  had  afforded  us  refuge : we  therefore  took  advantage 
of  the  low  tide,  and  moved  about  half  a mile  round  a point 
to  a small  brook,  which  we  had  not  observed  before  on 
account  of  the  thick  bushes  and  driftwood  which  concealed 
its  mouth.  Here  we  were  more  safe,  but  still  cold  and 


228 


First  Across  the  Continent 


wet;  our  clothes  and  bedding  rotten  as  well  as  wet,  our 
baggage  at  a distance,  and  the  canoes,  our  only  means  of 
escape  from  this  place,  at  the  mercy  of  the  waves.  Still, 
we  continued  to  enjoy  good  health,  and  even  had  the 
luxury  of  feasting  on  some  salmon  and  three  salmon  trout 
which  we  caught  in  the  brook.  Three  of  the  men  at- 
tempted to  go  round  a point  in  our  small  Indian  canoe, 
but  the  high  waves  rendered  her  quite  unmanageable, 
these  boats  requiring  the  seamanship  of  the  natives  to 
make  them  live  in  so  rough  a sea.” 

It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  canoes  of  the  ex- 
plorers were  poor  dug-outs,  unfit  to  navigate  the  turbulent 
waters  of  the  bay,  and  the  men  were  not  so  expert  in  that 
sort  of  seamanship  as  were  the  Indians  whom  they,  with 
envy,  saw  breasting  the  waves  and  making  short  voyages 
in  the  midst  of  the  storms.  It  continued  to  rain  without 
any  intermission,  and  the  waves  dashed  up  among  the  float- 
ing logs  of  the  camp  in  a very  distracting  manner.  The 
party  now  had  nothing  but  dried  fish  to  eat,  and  it  was  with 
great  difficulty  that  a fire  could  be  built.  On  the  fifteenth 
of  the  month,  Captain  Lewis  having  found  a better  camping- 
place  near  a sandy  beach,  they  started  to  move  their  lug- 
gage thither ; but  before  they  could  get  under  way,  a high 
wind  from  the  southwest  sprung  up  and  they  were  forced 
to  remain.  But  the  sun  came  out  and  they  were  enabled 
to  dry  their  stuff,  much  of  which  had  been  spoiled  by  the 
rain  which  had  prevailed  for  the  past  ten  days.  Their  fish 
also  was  no  longer  fit  to  eat,  and  they  were  indeed  in  poor 
case.  Captain  Lewis  was  out  on  a prospecting  trip,  and 
the  party  set  out  and  found  a beach  through  which  a pleas- 
ant brook  flowed  to  the  river,  making  a very  good  camp- 
ing-place. At  the  mouth  of  this  stream  was  an  ancient 
Chinook  village,  which,  says  the  journal,  “ has  at  present 


From  Tidewater  to  the  Sea 


229 


no  inhabitants  but  fleas.”  The  adventurers  were  compelled 
to  steer  wide  of  all  old  Indian  villages,  they  were  so  in- 
fested with  fleas.  At  times,  so  great  was  the  pest,  the  men 
were  forced  to  take  off  all  their  clothing  and  soak  them- 
selves and  their  garments  in  the  river  before  they  could  be 
rid  of  the  insects.  The  site  of  their  new  camp  was  at  the 
southeast  end  of  Baker’s  Bay,  sometimes  called  Haley’s 
Bay,  a mile  above  a very  high  point  of  rocks.  On  arriving 
at  this  place,  the  voyagers  met  with  an  unpleasant  experi- 
ence of  which  the  journal  gives  this  account:  — 

“ Here  we  met  Shannon,  who  had  been  sent  back  to 
meet  us  by  Captain  Lewis.  The  day  Shannon  left  us  in 
the  canoe,  he  and  Willard  proceeded  till  they  met  a party 
of  twenty  Indians,  who,  having  never  heard  of  us,  did  not 
know  where  they  [our  men]  came  from ; they,  however, 
behaved  with  so  much  civility,  and  seemed  so  anxious  that 
the  men  should  go  with  them  toward  the  sea,  that  their 
suspicions  were  excited,  and  they  declined  going  on.  The 
Indians,  however,  would  not  leave  them ; the  men  being 
confirmed  in  their  suspicions,  and  fearful  that  if  they  went 
into  the  woods  to  sleep  they  would  be  cut  to  pieces  in  the 
night,  thought  it  best  to  pass  the  night  in  the  midst  of  the 
Indians.  They  therefore  made  a fire,  and  after  talking 
with  them  to  a late  hour,  laid  down  with  their  rifles 
under  their  heads.  As  they  awoke  that  morning  they 
found  that  the  Indians  had  stolen  and  concealed  their 
guns.  Having  demanded  them  in  vain,  Shannon  seized  a 
club,  and  was  about  assaulting  one  of  the  Indians,  whom 
he  suspected  as  a thief,  when  another  Indian  began  to  load 
a fowling-piece  with  the  intention  of  shooting  him.  He 
therefore  stopped,  and  explained  by  signs  that  if  they  did 
not  give  up  the  guns  a large  party  would  come  down  the 
river  before  the  sun  rose  to  such  a height,  and  put  every 


230 


First  Across  the  Continent 


one  of  them  to  death.  Fortunately,  Captain  Lewis  and 
his  party  appeared  at  this  time.  The  terrified  Indians 
immediately  brought  the  guns,  and  five  of  them  came  on 
with  Shannon.  To  these  men  we  declared  that  if  ever 
any  one  of  their  nation  stole  anything  from  us,  he  should 
be  instantly  shot.  They  reside  to  the  north  of  this  place, 
and  speak  a language  different  from  that  of  the  people 
higher  up  the  river. 

“ It  was  now  apparent  that  the  sea  was  at  all  times  too 
rough  for  us  to  proceed  further  down  the  bay  by  water. 
We  therefore  landed,  and  having  chosen  the  best  spot  we 
could  select,  made  our  camp  of  boards  from  the  old  [Chi- 
nook] village.  We  were  now  situated  comfortably,  and 
being  visited  by  four  Wahkiacums  with  wappatoo-roots, 
were  enabled  to  make  an  agreeable  addition  to  our  food.” 

On  the  seventeenth  Captain  Lewis  with  a small  party  of 
his  men  coasted  the  bay  as  far  out  as  Cape  Disappoint- 
ment and  some  distance  to  the  north  along  the  seacoast. 
Game  was  now  plenty,  and  the  camp  was  supplied  with 
ducks,  geese,  and  venison.  Bad  weather  again  set  in. 
The  journal  under  date  of  November  22  says:  — 

“ It  rained  during  the  whole  night,  and  about  daylight  a 
tremendous  gale  of  wind  rose  from  the  S.S.E.,  and  con- 
tinued through  the  day  with  great  violence.  The  sea  ran 
so  high  that  the  water  came  into  our  camp,  which  the  rain 
prevents  us  from  leaving.  We  purchased  from  the  old 
squaw,  for  armbands  and  rings,  a few  wappatoo-roots,  on 
which  we  subsisted.  They  are  nearly  equal  in  flavor  to 
the  Irish  potato,  and  afford  a very  good  substitute  for 
bread.  The  bad  weather  drove  several  Indians  to  our 
camp,  but  they  were  still  under  the  terrors  of  the  threat 
which  we  made  on  first  seeing  them,  and  behaved  with  the 
greatest  decency. 


From  Tidewater  to  the  Sea 


231 


“ The  rain  continued  through  the  night,  November  23, 
and  the  morning  was  calm  and  cloudy.  The  hunters  were 
sent  out,  and  killed  three  deer,  four  brant,  and  three  ducks. 
Towards  evening  seven  Clatsops  came  over  in  a canoe, 
with  two  skins  of  the  sea-otter.  To  this  article  they 
attached  an  extravagant  value ; and  their  demands  for  it 
were  so  high,  that  we  were  fearful  it  would  too  much  reduce 
our  small  stock  of  merchandise,  on  which  we  had  to 
depend  for  subsistence  on  our  return,  to  venture  on  pur- 
chasing it.  To  ascertain,  however,  their  ideas  as  to  the 
value  of  different  objects,  we  offered  for  one  of  these  skins 
a watch,  a handkerchief,  an  American  dollar,  and  a bunch 
of  red  beads ; but  neither  the  curious  mechanism  of  the 
watch,  nor  even  the  red  beads,  could  tempt  the  owner : he 
refused  the  offer,  but  asked  for  tiacomoshack , or  chief 
beads,  the  most  common  sort  of  coarse  blue-colored 
beads,  the  article  beyond  all  price  in  their  estimation. 
Of  these  blue  beads  we  had  but  few,  and  therefore  re- 
served them  for  more  necessitous  circumstances.” 

The  officers  of  the  expedition  had  hoped  and  expected 
to  find  here  some  of  the  trading  ships  that  were  occasion- 
ally sent  along  the  coast  to  barter  with  the  natives ; but 
none  were  to  be  found.  They  were  soon  to  prepare  for 
winter-quarters,  and  they  still  hoped  that  a trader  might 
appear  in  the  spring  before  they  set  out  on  their  homeward 
journey  across  the  continent.  Very  much  they  needed 
trinkets  to  deal  with  the  natives  in  exchange  for  the  need- 
ful articles  of  food  on  the  route.  But  (we  may  as  well  say 
here)  no  such  relief  ever  appeared.  It  is  strange  that 
President  Jefferson,  in  the  midst  of  his  very  minute  orders 
and  preparations  for  the  benefit  of  the  explorers,  did  not 
think  of  sending  a relief  ship  to  meet  the  party  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Columbia.  They  would  have  been  saved  a 


232  First  Across  the  Continent 


world  of  care,  worry,  and  discomfort.  But  at  that  time  the 
European  nations  who  held  possessions  on  the  Pacific  coast 
were  very  suspicious  of  the  Americans,  and  possibly  Presi- 
dent Jefferson  did  not  like  to  risk  rousing  their  animosity. 

The  rain  that  now  deluged  the  unhappy  campers  was  so 
incessant  that  they  might  well  have  thought  that  people 
should  be  web-footed  to  live  in  such  a watery  region.  In 
these  later  days,  Oregon  is  sometimes  known  as  “ The  Web- 
foot  State.”  Captain  Clark,  in  his  diary,  November  28, 
makes  this  entry : “ O ! how  disagreeable  is  our  situation 
dureing  this  dreadfull  weather  ! ” The  gallant  captain’s  spell- 
ing was  sometimes  queer.  Under  that  date  he  adds:  — 

“ We  remained  during  the  day  in  a situation  the  most 
cheerless  and  uncomfortable.  On  this  little  neck  of  land 
we  are  exposed,  with  a miserable  covering  which  does  not 
deserve  the  name  of  a shelter,  to  the  violence  of  the  winds ; 
all  our  bedding  and  stores,  as  well  as  our  bodies,  are  com- 
pletely wet ; our  clothes  are  rotting  with  constant  exposure, 
and  we  have  no  food  except  the  dried  fish  brought  from 
the  falls,  to  which  we  are  again  reduced.  The  hunters 
all  returned  hungry  and  drenched  with  rain,  having  seen 
neither  deer  nor  elk,  and  the  swan  and  brant  were  too  shy 
to  be  approached.  At  noon  the  wind  shifted  to  the  north- 
west, and  blew  with  such  tremendous  fury  that  many  trees 
were  blown  down  near  us.  This  gale  lasted  with  short 
intervals  during  the  whole  night.” 

Of  course,  in  the  midst  of  such  violent  storms,  it  was 
impossible  to  get  game,  and  the  men  were  obliged  to 
resort  once  more  to  a diet  of  dried  fish.  This  food  caused 
much  sickness  in  the  camp,  and  it  became  imperatively 
necessary  that  efforts  should  again  be  made  to  find  game. 
On  the  second  of  December,  to  their  great  joy  an  elk  was 
killed,  and  next  day  they  had  a feast.  The  journal  says: 


From  Tidewater  to  the  Sea 


233 


“ The  wind  was  from  the  east  and  the  morning  fair ; but, 
as  if  one  whole  day  of  fine  weather  were  not  permitted,  to- 
ward night  it  began  to  rain.  Even  this  transient  glimpse 
of  sunshine  revived  the  spirits  of  the  party,  who  were  still 
more  pleased  when  the  elk  killed  yesterday  was  brought 
into  camp.  This  was  the  first  elk  we  had  killed  on  the 
west  side  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  condemned  as  we 
have  been  to  the  dried  fish,  it  formed  a most  nourishing 
food.  After  eating  the  marrow  of  the  shank-bones,  the 
squaw  chopped  them  fine,  and  by  boiling  extracted  a pint  of 
grease,  superior  to  the  tallow  itself  of  the  animal.  A canoe 
of  eight  Indians,  who  were  carrying  down  wappatoo-roots 
to  trade  with  the  Clatsops,  stopped  at  our  camp  ; we  bought 
a few  roots  for  small  fish-hooks,  and  they  then  left  us. 
Accustomed  as  we  were  to  the  sight,  we  could  not  but 
view  with  admiration  the  wonderful  dexterity  with  which 
they  guide  their  canoes  over  the  most  boisterous  seas ; for 
though  the  waves  were  so  high  that  before  they  had  gone 
half  a mile  the  canoe  was  several  times  out  of  sight,  they 
proceeded  with  the  greatest  calmness  and  security.  Two 
of  the  hunters  who  set  out  yesterday  had  lost  their  way, 
and  did  not  return  till  this  evening.  They  had  seen  in  their 
ramble  great  signs  of  elk  and  had  killed  six,  which  they 
had  butchered  and  left  at  a great  distance.  A party  was 
sent  in  the  morning.” 

On  the  third  of  December  Captain  Clark  carved  on  the 
trunk  of  a great  pine  tree  this  inscription : — 

“WM.  CLARK  DECEMBER  3D  1 805  BY  LAND  FROM  THE 
U.  STATES  IN  1804  & 5.  ” 

A few  days  later,  Captain  Lewis  took  with  him  a small 
party  and  set  out  to  find  a suitable  spot  on  which  to  build 
their  winter  camp.  He  did  not  return  as  soon  as  he  was 


234 


First  Across  the  Continent 


expected,  and  considerable  uneasiness  was  felt  in  camp  on 
that  account.  But  he  came  in  safely.  He  brought  good 
news ; they  had  discovered  a river  on  the  south  side  of  the 
Columbia,  not  far  from  their  present  encampment,  where 
there  were  an  abundance  of  elk  and  a favorable  place  for 
a winter  camp.  Bad  weather  detained  them  until  the 
seventh  of  December,  when  a favorable  change  enabled 
them  to  proceed.  They  made  their  way  slowly  and  very 
cautiously  down-stream,  the  tide  being  against  them.  The 
narrative  proceeds : — 

“We  at  length  turned  a point,  and  found  ourselves 
in  a deep  bay : here  we  landed  for  breakfast,  and  were 
joined  by  the  party  sent  out  three  days  ago  to  look  for 
the  six  elk,  killed  by  the  Lewis  party.  They  had  lost  their 
way  for  a day  and  a half,  and  when  they  at  last  reached 
the  place,  found  the  elk  so  much  spoiled  that  they  brought 
away  nothing  but  the  skins  of  four  of  them.  After  break- 
fast we  coasted  round  the  bay,  which  is  about  four  miles 
across,  and  receives,  besides  several  small  creeks,  two 
rivers,  called  by  the  Indians,  the  one  Kilhowanakel,  the 
other  Netul.  We  named  it  Meriwether’s  Bay,  from  the 
Christian  name  of  Captain  Lewis,  who  was,  no  doubt, 
the  first  white  man  who  had  surveyed  it.  The  wind  was 
high  from  the  northeast,  and  in  the  middle  of  the  day  it 
rained  for  two  hours,  and  then  cleared  off.  On  reaching  the 
south  side  of  the  bay  we  ascended  the  Netul  three  miles, 
to  the  first  point  of  high  land  on  its  western  bank,  and 
formed  our  camp  in  a thick  grove  of  lofty  pines,  about  two 
hundred  yards  from  the  water,  and  thirty  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  high  tides.” 


Chapter  XVIII 

Camping  by  the  Pacific 

NEXT  in  importance  to  the  building  of  a winter 
camp  was  the  fixing  of  a place  where  salt  could 
be  made.  Salt  is  absolutely  necessary  for  the  comfort 
of  man,  and  the  supply  brought  out  from  the  United 
States  by  the  explorers  was  now  nearly  all  gone.  They 
were  provided  with  kettles  in  which  sea-water  could  be 
boiled  down  and  salt  be  made.  It  would  be  needful  to 
go  to  work  at  once,  for  the  process  of  salt-making  by 
boiling  in  ordinary  kettles  is  slow  and  tedious;  not  only 
must  enough  for  present  uses  be  found,  but  a supply  to 
last  the  party  home  again  was  necessary.  Accordingly, 
on  the  eighth  of  December  the  journal  has  this  entry  to 
show  what  was  to  be  done : — 

“In  order,  therefore,  to  find  a place  for  making  salt, 
and  to  examine  the  country  further,  Captain  Clark  set 
out  with  five  men,  and  pursuing  a course  S.  6o°  W.,  over 
a dividing  ridge  through  thick  pine  timber,  much  of 
which  had  fallen,  passed  the  heads  of  two  small  brooks. 
In  the  neighborhood  of  these  the  land  was  swampy  and 
overflowed,  and  they  waded  knee-deep  till  they  came  to 
an  open  ridgy  prairie,  covered  with  the  plant  known  on 
our  frontier  by  the  name  of  sacacommis  [bearberry].  Here 
is  a creek  about  sixty  yards  wide  and  running  toward  Point 
Adams;  they  passed  it  on  a small  raft.  At  this  place 
they  discovered  a large  herd  of  elk,  and  after  pursuing 


236  First  Across  the  Continent 


them  for  three  miles  over  bad  swamps  and  small  ponds, 
killed  one  of  them.  The  agility  with  which  the  elk 
crossed  the  swamps  and  bogs  seems  almost  incredible;  as 
we  followed  their  track  the  ground  for  a whole  acre  would 
shake  at  our  tread,  and  sometimes  we  sunk  to  our  hips 
without  finding  any  bottom.  Over  the  surface  of  these 
bogs  is  a species  of  moss,  among  which  are  great  num- 
bers of  cranberries;  and  occasionally  there  rise  from  the 
swamp  small  steep  knobs  of  earth,  thickly  covered  with 
pine  and  laurel.  On  one  of  these  we  halted  at  night, 
but  it  was  scarcely  large  enough  to  suffer  us  to  lie  clear 
of  the  water,  and  had  very  little  dry  wood.  We  suc- 
ceeded, however,  in  collecting  enough  to  make  a fire; 
and  having  stretched  the  elk-skin  to  keep  off  the  rain, 
which  still  continued,  slept  till  morning.” 

Next  day  the  party  were  met  by  three  Indians  who  had 
been  fishing  for  salmon,  of  which  they  had  a goodly 
supply,  and  were  now  on  their  way  home  to  their  village 
on  the  seacoast.  They  invited  Captain  Clark  and  his 
men  to  accompany  them;* and  the  white  men  accepted 
the  invitation.  These  were  Clatsops.  Their  village  con- 
sisted of  twelve  families  living  in  houses  of  split  pine 
boards,  the  lower  half  of  the  house  being  underground. 
By  a small  ladder  in  the  middle  of  the  house-front,  the 
visitors  reached  the  floor,  which  was  about  four  feet 
below  the  surface.  Two  fires  were  burning  in  the  middle 
of  the  room  upon  the  earthen  floor.  The  beds  were 
ranged  around  the  room  next  to  the  wall,  with  spaces 
beneath  them  for  bags,  baskets,  and  household  articles. 

Captain  Clark  was  received  with  much  attention,  clean 
mats  were  spread  for  him,'  and  a repast  of  fish,  roots,  and 
berries  was  set  before  him.  He  noticed  that  the  Clatsops 
were  well  dressed  and  clean,  and  that  they  frequently 


Elk 


\ 


Camping  by  the  Pacific 


237 


washed  their  faces  and  hands,  a ceremony,  he  remarked, 
that  is  by  no  means  frequent  among  other  Indians.  A 
high  wind  now  prevailed,  and  as  the  evening  was  stormy, 
Captain  Clark  resolved  to  stay  all  night  with  his  hos- 
pitable Clatsops.  The  narrative  proceeds:  — 

“The  men  of  the  village  now  collected  and  began  to 
gamble.  The  most  common  game  was  one  in  which  one 
of  the  company  was  banker,  and  played  against  all  the 
rest.  He  had  a piece  of  bone,  about  the  size  of  a large 
bean,  and  having  agreed  with  any  individual  as  to  the 
value  of  the  stake,  would  pass  the  bone  from  one  hand 
to  the  other  with  great  dexterity,  singing  at  the  same 
time  to  divert  the  attention  of  his  adversary;  then  hold- 
ing it  in  his  hands,  his  antagonist  was  challenged  to 
guess  in  which  of  them  the  bone  was,  and  lost  or  won  as 
he  pointed  to  the  right  or  wrong  hand.  To  this  game 
of  hazard  they  abandoned  themselves  with  great  ardor; 
sometimes  everything  they  possess  is  sacrificed  to  it;  and 
this  evening  several  of  the  Indians  lost  all  the  beads 
which  they  had  with  them.  This  lasted  for  three  hours; 
when,  Captain  Clark  appearing  disposed  to  sleep,  the 
man  who  had  been  most  attentive,  and  whose  name  was 
Cuskalah,  spread  two  new  mats  near  the  fire,  ordered  his 
wife  to  retire  to  her  own  bed,  and  the  rest  of  the  com- 
pany dispersed  at  the  same  time.  Captain  Clark  then 
lay  down,  but  the  violence  with  which  the  fleas  attacked 
him  did  not  leave  his  rest  unbroken.” 

Next  morning,  Captain  Clark  walked  along  the  sea- 
shore, and  he  observed  that  the  Indians  were  walking 
up  and  down,  examining  the  shore  and  the  margin  of  a 
creek  that  emptied  here.  The  narrative  says : — 

“He  was  at  a loss  to  understand  their  object  till  one 
of  them  came  to  him,  and  explained  that  they  were  in 


238  First  Across  the  Continent 


search  of  any  fish  which  might  have  been  thrown  on 
shore  and  left  by  the  tide,  adding  in  English,  ‘ sturgeon 
is  very  good.  * There  is,  indeed,  every  reason  to  believe 
that  these  Clatsops  depend  for  their  subsistence,  during 
the  winter,  chiefly  on  the  fish  thus  casually  thrown  on 
the  coast.  After  amusing  himself  for  some  time  on  the 
beach,  he  returned  towards  the  village,  and  shot  on  his 
way  two  brant.  As  he  came  near  the  village,  one  of  the 
Indians  asked  him  to  shoot  a duck  about  thirty  steps  dis- 
tant: he  did  so,  and,  having  accidentally  shot  off  its 
head,  the  bird  was  brought  to  the  village,  when  all  the 
Indians  came  round  in  astonishment.  They  examined 
the  duck,  the  musket,  and  the  very  small  bullets,  which 
were  a hundred  to  the  pound,  and  then  exclaimed,  Clouch 
musque , waket , commatax  musquet : Good  musket;  do  not 
understand  this  kind  of  musket.  They  now  placed  before 
him  their  best  roots,  fish,  and  syrup,  after  which  he 
attempted  to  purchase  a sea-otter  skin  with  some  red 
beads  which  he  happened  to  have  about  him ; but  they 
declined  trading,  as  they  valued  none  except  blue  or 
white  beads.  He  therefore  bought  nothing  but  a little 
berry-bread  and  a few  roots,  in  exchange  for  fish-hooks, 
and  then  set  out  to  return  by  the  same  route  he  had 
come.  He  was  accompanied  by  Cuskalah  and  his  brother 
as  far  as  the  third  creek,  and  then  proceeded  to  the  camp 
through  a heavy  rain.  The  whole  party  had  been  occu- 
pied during  his  absence  in  cutting  down  trees  to  make 
huts,  and  in  hunting.” 

This  was  the  occupation  of  all  hands  for  several  days, 
notwithstanding  the  discomfort  of  the  continual  down- 
pour. Many  of  the  men  were  ill  from  the  effects  of 
sleeping  and  living  so  constantly  in  water.  Under  date 
of  December  12,  the  journal  has  this  entry:  — 


Camping  by  the  Pacific 


239 


“We  continued  to  work  in  the  rain  at  our  houses.  In 
the  evening  there  arrived  two  canoes  of  Clatsops,  among 
whom  was  a principal  chief,  called  Comowol.  We  gave 
him  a medal  and  treated  his  companions  with  great 
attention;  after  which  we  began  to  bargain  for  a small 
sea-otter  skin,  some  wappatoo-roots,  and  another  species 
of  root  called  shanataque.  We  readily  perceived  that 
they  were  close  dealers,  stickled  much  for  trifles,  and 
never  closed  the  bargain  until  they  thought  they  had  the 
advantage.  The  wappatoo  is  dear,  as  they  themselves 
are  obliged  to  give  a high  price  for  it  to  the  Indians 
above.  Blue  beads  are  the  articles  most  in  request ; the 
white  occupy  the  next  place  in  their  estimation;  but  they 
do  not  value  much  those  of  any  other  color.  We  suc- 
ceeded at  last  in  purchasing  their  whole  cargo  for  a few 
fish-hooks  and  a small  sack  of  Indian  tobacco,  which  we 
had  received  from  the  Shoshonees.  ” 

The  winter  camp  was  made  up  of  seven  huts,  and, 
although  it  was  not  so  carefully  fortified  as  was  the  fort  in 
the  Mandan  country  (during  the  previous  winter),  it  was 
so  arranged  that  intruders  could  be  kept  out  when  neces- 
sary. For  the  roofs  of  these  shelters  they  were  provided 
with  “shakes”  split  out  from  a species  of  pine  which 
they  called  “balsam  pine,”  and  which  gave  them  boards, 
or  puncheons,  or  shakes,  ten  feet  long  and  two  feet  wide, 
and  not  more  than  an  inch  and  a half  thick.  By  the  six- 
teenth of  December  their  meat-house  was  finished,  and 
their  meat,  so  much  of  which  had  been  spoiled  for  lack 
of  proper  care,  was  cut  up  in  small  pieces  and  hung 
under  cover.  They  had  been  told  by  the  Indians  that 
very  little  snow  ever  fell  in  that  region,  and  the  weather, 
although  very,  very  wet,  was  mild  and  usually  free  from 
frost.  They  did  have  severe  hailstorms  and  a few  flurries 


240 


First  Across  the  Continent 


of  snow  in  December,  but  the  rain  was  a continual  cause 
of  discomfort.  Of  the  trading  habits  of  the  Clatsops  the 
journal  has  this  to  say : — 

“ Three  Indians  came  in  a canoe  with  mats,  roots,  and 
the  berries  of  the  sacacommis.  These  people  proceed 
with  a dexterity  and  finesse  in  their  bargains  which,  if 
they  have  not  learned  it  from  their  foreign  visitors,  may 
show  how  nearly  allied  is  the  cunning  of  savages  to  the 
little  arts  of  traffic.  They  begin  by  asking  double  or 
treble  the  value  of  what  they  have  to  sell,  and  lower  their 
demand  in  proportion  to  the  greater  or  less  degree  of 
ardor  or  knowledge  of  the  purchaser,  who,  with  all  his 
management,  is  not  able  to  procure  the  article  for  less 
than  its  real  value,  which  the  Indians  perfectly  under- 
stand. Our  chief  medium  of  trade  consists  of  blue  and 
white  beads,  files,  — with  which  they  sharpen  their  tools, 
— fish-hooks,  and  tobacco;  but  of  all  these  articles  blue 
beads  and  tobacco  are  the  most  esteemed.” 

But,  although  their  surroundings  were  not  of  a sort  to 
make  one  very  jolly,  when  Christmas  came  they  observed 
the  day  as  well  as  they  could.  Here  is  what  the  journal 
says  of  the  holiday:  — 

“We  were  awaked  at  daylight  by  a discharge  of  fire- 
arms, which  was  followed  by  a song  from  the  men,  as  a 
compliment  to  us  on  the  return  of  Christmas,  which  we 
have  always  been  accustomed  to  observe  as  a day  of 
rejoicing.  After  breakfast  we  divided  our  remaining 
stock  of  tobacco,  which  amounted  to  twelve  carrots 
[hands],  into  two  parts;  one  of  which  we  distributed 
among  such  of  the  party  as  make  use  of  it,  making  a 
present  of  a handkerchief  to  the  others.  The  remainder 
of  the  day  was  passed  in  good  spirits,  though  there  was 
nothing  in  our  situation  to  excite  much  gayety.  The 


Camping  by  the  Pacific  241 


rain  confined  us  to  the  house,  and  our  only  luxuries  in 
honor  of  the  season  were  some  poor  elk,  so  much  spoiled 
that  we  ate  it  through  sheer  necessity,  a few  roots,  and 
some  spoiled  pounded  fish. 

“The  next  day  brought  a continuation  of  rain,  accom- 
panied with  thunder,  and  a high  wind  from  the  southeast. 
We  were  therefore  obliged  to  still  remain  in  our  huts, 
and  endeavored  to  dry  our  wet  articles  before  the  fire. 
The  fleas,  which  annoyed  us  near  the  portage  of  the  Great 
Falls,  have  taken  such  possession  of  our  clothes  that  we 
are  obliged  to  have  a regular  search  every  day  through 
our  blankets  as  a necessary  preliminary  to  sleeping  at 
night.  These  animals,  indeed,  are  so  numerous  that 
they  are  almost  a calamity  to  the  Indians  of  this  country. 
When  they  have  once  obtained  the  mastery  of  any  house 
it  is  impossible  to  expel  them,  and  the  Indians  have 
frequently  different  houses,  to  which  they  resort  occa- 
sionally when  the  fleas  have  rendered  their  permanent 
residence  intolerable;  yet,  in  spite  of  these  precautions, 
every  Indian  is  constantly  attended  by  multitudes  of 
them,  and  no  one  comes  into  our  house  without  leaving 
behind  him  swarms  of  these  tormenting  insects.” 

Although  the  condition  of  the  exploring  party  was  low, 
the  men  did  not  require  very  much  to  put  them  in  good 
spirits.  The  important  and  happy  event  of  finishing 
their  fort  and  the  noting  of  good  weather  are  thus  set 
forth  in  the  journal  under  date  of  December  30:  — 

“Toward  evening  the  hunters  brought  in  four  elk 
[which  Drewyer  had  killed],  and  after  a long  course  of 
abstinence  and  miserable  diet,  we  had  a most  sumptuous 
supper  of  elk’s  tongues  and  marrow.  Besides  this  agree- 
able repast,  the  state  of  the  weather  was  quite  exhilarat- 
ing. It  had  rained  during  the  night,  but  in  the  morning, 

16 


242 


First  Across  the  Continent 


though  the  high  wind  continued,  we  enjoyed  the  fairest 
and  most  pleasant  weather  since  our  arrival;  the  sun 
having  shone  at  intervals,  and  there  being  only  three 
showers  in  the  course  of  the  day.  By  sunset  we  had 
completed  the  fortification,  and  now  announced  to  the 
Indians  that  every  day  at  that  hour  the  gates  would  be 
closed,  and  they  must  leave  the  fort  and  not  enter  it  till 
sunrise.  The  Wahkiacums  who  remained  with  us,  and 
who  were  very  forward  in  their  deportment,  complied 
very  reluctantly  with  this  order;  but,  being  excluded 
from  our  houses,  formed  a camp  near  us. 

“January  1,  1806.  We  were  awaked  at  an  early  hour 
by  the  discharge  of  a volley  of  small  arms,  to  salute  the 
new  year.  This  was  the  only  mode  of  commemorating 
the  day  which  our  situation  permitted;  for,  though  we 
had  reason  to  be  gayer  than  we  were  at  Christmas,  our 
only  dainties  were  boiled  elk  and  wappatoo,  enlivened 
by  draughts  of  pure  water.  We  were  visited  by  a few 
Clatsops,  who  came  by  water,  bringing  roots  and  berries 
for  sale.  Among  this  nation  we  observed  a man  about 
twenty-five  years  old,  of  a much  lighter  complexion  than 
the  Indians  generally : his  face  was  even  freckled,  and 
his  hair  long,  and  of  a colour  inclining  to  red.  He  was 
in  habits  and  manners  perfectly  Indian;  but,  though  he 
did  not  speak  a word  of  English,  he  seemed  to  under- 
stand more  than  the  others  of  his  party;  and,  as  we  could 
obtain  no  account  of  his  origin,  we  concluded  that  one  of 
his  parents,  at  least,  must  have  been  white.” 

A novel  addition  to  their  bill  of  fare  was  fresh  blubber, 
or  fat,  from  a stranded  whale.  Under  date  of  January  3 
the  journal  says  : — 

“ At  eleven  o’clock  we  were  visited  by  our  neighbor,  the 


Camping  by  the  Pacific  243 


Tia  or  chief,  Comowool,  who  is  also  called  Coond,  and 
six  Clatsops.  Besides  roots  and  berries,  they  brought 
for  sale  three  dogs,  and  some  fresh  blubber.  Having 
been  so  long  accustomed  to  live  on  the  flesh  of  dogs,  the 
greater  part  of  us  have  acquired  a fondness  for  it,  and  our 
original  aversion  for  it  is  overcome,  by  reflecting  that 
while  we  subsisted  on  that  food  we  were  fatter,  stronger, 
and  in  general  enjoyed  better  health  than  at  any  period 
since  leaving  the  buffalo  country,  eastward  of  the  moun- 
tains. The  blubber,  which  is  esteemed  by  the  Indians 
an  excellent  food,  has  been  obtained,  they  tell  us,  from 
their  neighbors,  the  Killamucks,  a nation  who  live  on 
the  seacoast  to  the  southeast,  near  one  of  whose  villages 
a whale  had  recently  been  thrown  and  foundered.” 

Five  men  had  been  sent  out  to  form  a camp  on  the  sea- 
shore and  go  into  the  manufacture  of  salt  as  expeditiously 
as  possible.  On  the  fifth  of  January,  two  of  them  came 
into  the  fort  bringing  a gallon  of  salt,  which  was  decided 
to  be  “white,  fine  and  very  good,”  and  a very  agreeable 
addition  to  their  food,  which  had  been  eaten  perfectly 
fresh  for  some  weeks  past.  Captain  Clark,  however,  said 
it  was  a “mere  matter  of  indifference”  to  him  whether 
he  had  salt  or  not,  but  he  hankered  for  bread.  Captain 
Lewis,  on  the  other  hand,  said  the  lack  of  salt  was  a 
great  inconvenience;  “the  want  of  bread  I consider 
trivial,”  was  his  dictum.  It  was  estimated  that  the 
salt-makers  could  turn  out  three  or  four  quarts  a day, 
and  there  was  good  prospect  of  an  abundant  supply  for 
present  needs  and  for  the  homeward  journey.  An  expe- 
dition to  the  seashore  was  now  planned,  and  the  journal 
goes  on  to  tell  how  they  set  out:  — 

“ The  appearance  of  the  whale  seemed  to  be  a matter 
of  importance  to  all  the  neighboring  Indians,  and  as  we 


244 


First  Across  the  Continent 


might  be  able  to  procure  some  of  it  for  ourselves,  or  at 
least  purchase  blubber  from  the  Indians,  a small  parcel 
of  merchandise  was  prepared,  and  a party  of  the  men  held 
in  readiness  to  set  out  in  the  morning.  As  soon  as  this 
resolution  was  known,  Chaboneau  and  his  wife  requested 
that  they  might  be  permitted  to  accompany  us.  The 
poor  woman  stated  very  earnestly  that  she  had  travelled 
a great  way  with  us  to  see  the  great  water,  yet  she  had 
never  been  down  to  the  coast,  and  now  that  this  mon- 
strous fish  was  also  to  be  seen,  it  seemed  hard  that  she 
should  be  permitted  to  see  neither  the  ocean  nor  the 
whale.  So  reasonable  a request  could  not  be  denied; 
they  were  therefore  suffered  to  accompany  Captain  Clark, 
who,  January  6th,  after  an  early  breakfast,  set  out  with 
twelve  men  in  two  canoes.” 

After  a long  and  tedious  trip,  the  camp  of  the  salt- 
makers  was  reached,  and  Captain  Clark  and  his  men  went 
on  to  the  remains  of  the  whale,  only  the  skeleton  being 
left  by  the  rapacious  and  hungry  Indians.  The  whale 
had  been  stranded  between  two  shore  villages  tenanted 
by  the  Killamucks,  as  Captain  Clark  called  them.  They 
are  now  known  as  the  Tillamook  Indians,  and  their  name 
is  preserved  in  Tillamook  County,  Oregon.  The  white 
men  found  it  difficult  to  secure  much  of  the  blubber,  or 
the  oil.  Although  the  Indians  had  large  quantities  of 
both,  they  sold  it  with  much  reluctance.  In  Clark’s 
private  diary  is  found  this  entry:  “ Small  as  this  stock 
[of  oil  and  lubber]  is  I prize  it  highly;  and  thank  Provi- 
dence for  directing  the  whale  to  us;  and  think  him  more 
kind  to  us  than  he  was  to  Jonah,  having  sent  this  monster 
to  be  swallowed  by  us  instead  of  swallowing  us  as  Jonah’s 
did.”  While  here,  the  party  had  a startling  experience, 
as  the  journal  says : — 


Camping  by  the  Pacific  245 


“ Whilst  smoking  with  the  Indians,  Captain  Clark  was 
surprised,  about  ten  o’clock,  by  a loud,  shrill  outcry  from 
the  opposite  village,  on  hearing  which  all  the  Indians 
immediately  started  up  to  cross  the  creek,  and  the  guide 
informed  him  that  someone  had  been  killed.  On  exami- 
nation one  of  the  men  [M’Neal]  was  discovered  to  be 
absent,  and  a guard  [Sergeant  Pryor  and  four  men]  des- 
patched, who  met  him  crossing  the  creek  in  great  haste. 
An  Indian  belonging  to  another  band,  who  happened  to 
be  with  the  Killamucks  that  evening,  had  treated  him 
with  much  kindness,  and  walked  arm  in  arm  with  him  to 
a tent  where  our  man  found  a Chinnook  squaw,  who  was 
an  old  acquaintance.  From  the  conversation  and  manner 
of  the  stranger,  this  woman  discovered  that  his  object 
was  to  murder  the  white  man  for  the  sake  of  the  few 
articles  on  his  person ; when  he  rose  and  pressed  our  man 
to  go  to  another  tent  where  they  would  find  something 
better  to  eat,  she  held  M’Neal  by  the  blanket;  not  know- 
ing her  object,  he  freed  himself  from  her,  and  was  going 
on  with  his  pretended  friend,  when  she  ran  out  and  gave 
the  shriek  which  brought  the  men  of  the  village  over, 
and  the  stranger  ran  off  before  M’Neal  knew  what  had 
occasioned  the  alarm.” 

The  “mighty  hunter”  of  the  Lewis  and  Clark  expedi- 
tion was  Drewyer,  whose  name  has  frequently  been  men- 
tioned in  these  pages.  Under  date  of  January  12,  the 
journal  has  this  just  tribute  to  the  man : — • 

“Our  meat  is  now  becoming  scarce;  we  therefore 
determined  to  jerk  it,  and  issue  it  in  small  quantities, 
instead  of  dividing  it  among  the  four  messes,  and  leaving 
to  each  the  care  of  its  own  provisions;  a plan  by  which 
much  is  lost,  in  consequence  of  the  improvidence  of  the 
men.  Two  hunters  had  been  despatched  in  the  morning, 


246 


First  Across  the  Continent 


and  one  of  them,  Drewyer,  had  before  evening  killed 
seven  elk.  We  should  scarcely  be  able  to  subsist,  were 
it  not  for  the  exertions  of  this  most  excellent  hunter. 
The  game  is  scarce,  and  nothing  is  now  to  be  seen  except 
elk,  which  for  almost  all  the  men  are  very  difficult  to 
be  procured;  but  Drewyer,  who  is  the  offspring  of  a 
Canadian  Frenchman  and  an  Indian  woman,  has  passed 
his  life  in  the  woods,  and  unites,  in  a wonderful  degree, 
the  dexterous  aim  of  the  frontier  huntsman  with  the 
intuitive  sagacity  of  the  Indian,  in  pursuing  the  faintest 
tracks  through  the  forest.  All  our  men,  however,  have 
indeed  become  so  expert  with  the  rifle  that  we  are  never 
under  apprehensions  as  to  food ; since,  whenever  there  is 
game  of  any  kind,  we  are  almost  certain  of  procuring  it.” 

The  narrative  of  the  explorers  gives  this  account  of  the 
Chinooks : — 

“The  men  are  low  in  stature,  rather  ugly,  and  ill 
made;  their  legs  being  small  and  crooked,  their  feet 
large,  and  their  heads,  like  those  of  the  women,  flattened 
in  a most  disgusting  manner.  These  deformities  are  in 
part  concealed  by  robes  made  of  sea-otter,  deer,  elk, 
beaver  or  fox  skins.  They  also  employ  in  their  dress 
robes  of  the  skin  of  a cat  peculiar  to  this  country,  and  of 
another  animal  of  the  same  size,  which  is  light  and  dur- 
able, and  sold  at  a high  price  by  the  Indians  who  bring 
it  from  above.  In  addition  to  these  are  worn  blankets, 
wrappers  of  red,  blue,  or  spotted  cloth,  and  some  old 
sailors’  clothes,  which  are  very  highly  prized.  The 
greater  part  of  the  men  have  guns,  with  powder  and  ball. 

“The  women  have  in  general  handsome  faces,  but  are 
low  and  disproportioned,  with  small  feet  and  large  legs, 
occasioned,  probably,  by  strands  of  beads,  or  various 
strings,  drawn  so  tight  above  the  ankles  as  to  prevent 


Camping  by  the  Pacific 


247 


the  circulation  of  the  blood.  Their  dress,  like  that  of 
the  Wahkiacums,  consists  of  a short  robe  and  a tissue 
of  cedar  bark.  Their  hair  hangs  loosely  down  the  shoul- 
ders and  back ; and  their  ears,  neck,  and  wrists  are  orna- 
mented with  blue  beads.  Another  decoration,  which  is 
very  highly  prized,  consists  of  figures  made  by  punctur- 
ing the  arms  or  legs;  and  on  the  arms  of  one  of  the 
squaws  we  observed  the  name  of  J.  Bowman,  executed  in 
the  same  way.  In  language,  habits,  and  in  almost  every 
other  particular,  they  resemble  the  Clatsops,  Cathlamahs, 
and,  indeed,  all  the  people  near  the  mouth  of  the  Colum- 
bia, though  they  appeared  to  be  inferior  to  their  neigh- 
bors in  honesty  as  well  as  spirit.  No  ill  treatment  or 
indignity  on  our  part  seemed  to  excite  any  feeling  except 
fear;  nor,  although  better  provided  than  their  neighbors 
with  arms,  have  they  enterprise  enough  either  to  use 
them  advantageously  against  the  animals  of  the  forest,  or 
offensively  against  the  tribes  near  them,  who  owe  their 
safety  more  to  the  timidity  than  the  forbearance  of  the 
Chinooks.  We  had  heard  instances  of  pilfering  while 
we  were  among  them,  and  therefore  gave  a general  order 
excluding  them  from  our  encampment,  so  that  whenever 
an  Indian  wished  to  visit  us,  he  began  by  calling  out 
‘ No  Chinook.  ’ It  is  not  improbable  that  this  first  im- 
pression may  have  left  a prejudice  against  them,  since, 
when  we  were  among  the  Clatsops  and  other  tribes  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Columbia,  they  had  less  opportunity  of 
stealing,  if  they  were  so  disposed.” 

The  weeks  remaining  before  the  party  set  out  on  their 
return  were  passed  without  notable  incident.  The  jour- 
nal is  chiefly  occupied  with  comments  on  the  weather, 
which  was  variable,  and  some  account  of  the  manners 
and  customs  of  the  Indian  tribes  along  the  Columbia 


248 


First  Across  the  Continent 


River.  At  that  time,  so  few  traders  had  penetrated  the 
wilds  of  the  Lower  Columbia  that  the  Indians  were  not 
supplied  with  firearms  to  any  great  extent.  Their  main 
reliance  was  the  bow  and  arrow.  A few  shotguns  were 
seen  among  them,  but  no  rifles,  and  great  was  the  admi- 
ration and  wonder  with  which  the  Indians  saw  the  white 
men  slay  birds  and  animals  at  a long  distance.  Pitfalls 
for  elk  were  constructed  by  the  side  of  fallen  trees  over 
which  the  animals  might  leap.  Concerning  the  manu- 
factures of  the  Clatsops,  they  reported  as  follows:  — 
“Their  hats  are  made  of  cedar-bark  and  bear-grass, 
interwoven  together  in  the  form  of  a European  hat,  with 
a small  brim  of  about  two  inches,  and  a high  crown 
widening  upward.  They  are  light,  ornamented  with  vari- 
ous colors  and  figures,  and  being  nearly  water-proof,  are 
much  more  durable  than  either  chip  or  straw  hats.  These 
hats  form  a small  article  of  traffic  with  the  whites,  and 
their  manufacture  is  one  of  the  best  exertions  of  Indian 
industry.  They  are,  however,  very  dexterous  in  making 
a variety  of  domestic  utensils,  among  which  are  bowls, 
spoons,  scewers  [skewers],  spits,  and  baskets.  The  bowl 
or  trough  is  of  different  shapes  — round,  semicircular,  in 
the  form  of  a canoe,  or  cubic,  and  generally  dug  out  of  a 
single  piece  of  wood ; the  larger  vessels  have  holes  in  the 
sides  by  way  of  handles,  and  all  are  executed  with  great 
neatness.  In  these  vessels  they  boil  their  food,  by 
throwing  hot  stones  into  the  water,  and  extract  oil  from 
different  animals  in  the  same  way.  Spoons  are  not  very 
abundant,  nor  is  there  anything  remarkable  in  their 
shape,  except  that  they  are  large  and  the  bowl  broad. 
Meat  is  roasted  on  one  end  of  a sharp  skewer,  placed 
erect  before  the  fire,  with  the  other  end  fixed  in  the 
ground. 


Camping  by  the  Pacific 


249 


“But  the  most  curious  workmanship  is  that  of  the 
basket.  It  is  formed  of  cedar-bark  and  bear-grass,  so 
closely  interwoven  that  it  is  water-tight,  without  the  aid 
of  either  gum  or  resin.  The  form  is  generally  conic, 
or  rather  the  segment  [frustum]  of  a cone,  of  which  the 
smaller  end  is  the  bottom  of  the  basket;  and  being  made 
of  all  sizes,  from  that  of  the  smallest  cup  to  the  capacity 
of  five  or  six  gallons,  they  answer  the  double  purpose  of 
a covering  for  the  head  or  to  contain  water.  Some  of 
them  are  highly  ornamented  with  strands  of  bear-grass, 
woven  into  figures  of  various  colors,  which  require  great 
labor;  yet  they  are  made  very  expeditiously  and  sold  for 
a trifle.  It  is  for  the  construction  of  these  baskets  that 
the  bear-grass  forms  an  article  of  considerable  traffic.  It 
grows  only  near  the  snowy  region  of  the  high  mountains; 
the  blade,  which  is  two  feet  long  and  about  three-eighths 
of  an  inch  wide,  is  smooth,  strong,  and  pliant;  the  young 
blades  particularly,  from  their  not  being  exposed  to  the 
sun  and  air,  have  an  appearance  of  great  neatness,  and 
are  generally  preferred.  Other  bags  and  baskets,  not 
waterproof,  are  made  of  cedar-bark,  silk-grass,  rushes, 
flags,  and  common  coarse  sedge,  for  the  use  of  families. 
In  these  manufactures,  as  in  the  ordinary  work  of  the 
house,  the  instrument  most  in  use  is  a knife,  or  rather  a 
dagger.  The  handle  of  it  is  small,  and  has  a strong  loop 
of  twine  for  the  thumb,  to  prevent  its  being  wrested  from 
the  hand.  On  each  side  is  a blade,  double-edged  and 
pointed ; the  longer  from  nine  to  ten  inches,  the  shorter 
from  four  to  five.  This  knife  is  carried  habitually  in  the 
hand,  sometimes  exposed,  but  mostly,  when  in  company 
with  strangers,  is  put  under  the  robe.” 

Naturally,  all  of  the  Columbia  River  Indians  were 
found  to  be  expert  in  the  building  and  handling  of 


250 


First  Across  the  Continent 


canoes.  Here  their  greatest  skill  was  employed.  And, 
it  may  be  added,  the  Indians  of  the  North  Pacific  coast 
to-day  are  equally  adept  and  skilful.  The  canoes  of  the 
present  race  of  red  men  do  not  essentially  differ  from 
those  of  the  tribes  described  by  Lewis  and  Clark,  and 
who  are  now  extinct.  The  Indians  then  living  above 
tide-water  built  canoes  of  smaller  size  than  those  em- 
ployed by  the  nations  farther  down  the  river.  The 
canoes  of  the  Tillamooks  and  other  tribes  living  on  the 
seacoast  were  upwards  of  fifty  feet  long,  and  would  carry 
eight  or  ten  thousand  pounds’  weight,  or  twenty-five  or 
thirty  persons.  These  were  constructed  from  the  trunk 
of  a single  tree,  usually  white  cedar.  The  bow  and  stern 
rose  much  higher  than  the  gunwale,  and  were  adorned  by 
grotesque  figures  excellently  well  carved  and  fitted  to 
pedestals  cut  in  the  solid  wood  of  the  canoe.  The  same 
method  of  adornment  may  be  seen  among  the  aborigines 
of  Alaska  and  other  regions  of  the  North  Pacific,  to-day. 
The  figures  are  made  of  small  pieces  of  wood  neatly  fitted 
together  by  inlaying  and  mortising,  without  any  spike  of 
any  kind.  When  one  reflects  that  the  Indians  seen  by 
Lewis  and  Clark  constructed  their  large  canoes  with  very 
poor  tools,  it  is  impossible  to  withhold  one’s  admiration 
of  their  industry  and  patience.  The  journal  says : — 

“ Our  admiration  of  their  skill  in  these  curious  con- 
structions was  increased  by  observing  the  very  inadequate 
implements  which  they  use.  These  Indians  possess  very 
few  axes,  and  the  only  tool  they  employ,  from  felling 
the  tree  to  the  delicate  workmanship  of  the  images,  is  a 
chisel  made  of  an  old  file,  about  an  inch  or  an  inch  and 
a half  in  width.  Even  of  this,  too,  they  have  not  learned 
the  proper  management;  for  the  chisel  is  sometimes  fixed 
in  a large  block  of  wood,  and,  being  held  in  the  right 


Camping  by  the  Pacific  251 


hand,  the  block  is  pushed  with  the  left,  without  the  aid 
of  a mallet.  But  under  all  these  disadvantages,  their 
canoes,  which  one  would  suppose  to  be  the  work  of  years, 
are  made  in  a few  weeks.  A canoe,  however,  is  very 
highly  prized,  being  in  traffic  an  article  of  the  greatest 
value  except  a wife,  and  of  equal  value  with  her ; so  that 
a lover  generally  gives  a canoe  to  the  father  in  exchange 
for  his  daughter.  . . . 

“The  harmony  of  their  private  life  is  secured  by  their 
ignorance  of  spirituous  liquors,  the  earliest  and  most 
dreadful  present  which  civilization  has  given  to  the  other 
natives  of  the  continent.  Although  they  have  had  so 
much  intercourse  with  whites,  they  do  not  appear  to 
possess  any  knowledge  of  those  dangerous  luxuries;  at 
least  they  have  never  inquired  after  them,  which  they 
probably  would  have  done  if  once  liquors  had  been  intro- 
duced among  them.  Indeed,  we  have  not  observed  any 
liquor  of  intoxicating  quality  among  these  or  any  Indians 
west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  the  universal  beverage 
being  pure  water.  They,  however,  sometimes  almost 
intoxicate  themselves  by  smoking  tobacco,  of  which  they 
are  excessively  fond,  and  the  pleasures  of  which  they 
prolong  as  much  as  possible,  by  retaining  vast  quantities 
at  a time,  till  after  circulating  through  the  lungs  and 
stomach  it  issues  in  volumes  from  the  mouth  and  nostrils.” 

A long  period  of  quiet  prevailed  in  camp  after  the  first 
of  February,  before  the  final  preparations  for  departure 
were  made.  Parties  were  sent  out  every  day  to  hunt, 
and  the  campers  were  able  to  command  a few  days’ 
supply  of  provision  in  advance.  The  flesh  of  the  deer 
was  now  very  lean  and  poor,  but  that  of  the  elk  was 
growing  better  and  better.  It  was  estimated  by  one  of 
the  party  that  they  killed,  between  December  1,  1805, 


252  First  Across  the  Continent 


and  March  20,  1806,  elk  to  the  number  of  one  hundred 
and  thirty-one,  and  twenty  deer.  Some  of  this  meat 
they  smoked  for  its  better  preservation,  but  most  of  it 
was  eaten  fresh.  No  record  was  kept  of  the  amount  of 
fish  consumed  by  the  party;  but  they  were  obliged  at 
times  to  make  fish  their  sole  article  of  diet.  Late  in 
February  they  were  visited  by  Comowool,  the  principal 
Clatsop  chief,  who  brought  them  a sturgeon  and  quantities 
of  a small  fish  which  had  just  begun  to  make  its  appear- 
ance in  the  Columbia.  This  was  known  as  the  anchovy, 
but  oftener  as  the  candle-fish ; it  is  so  fat  that  it  may  be 
burned  like  a torch,  or  candle.  The  journal  speaks  of 
Comowool  as  “ by  far  the  most  friendly  and  decent  savage 
we  have  seen  in  this  neighborhood.” 


Chapter  XIX 

With  Faces  turned  Homeward 


THE  officers  of  the  expedition  had  decided  to  begin 
their  homeward  march  on  the  first  of  April ; but  a 
natural  impatience  induced  them  to  start  a little  earlier, 
and,  as  a matter  of  record,  it  may  be  said  that  they  evac- 
uated Fort  Clatsop  on  the  23d  of  March,  1806.  An  ex- 
amination of  their  stock  of  ammunition  showed  that  they 
had  on  hand  a supply  of  powder  amply  sufficient  for  their 
needs  when  travelling  the  three  thousand  miles  of  wilder- 
ness in  which  their  sole  reliance  for  food  must  be  the  game 
to  be  killed.  The  powder  was  kept  in  leaden  canisters, 
and  these,  when  empty,  were  used  for  making  balls  for 
muskets  and  rifles.  Three  bushels  of  salt  were  collected 
for  their  use  on  the  homeward  journey. 

What  they  needed  now  most  of  all  was  an  assortment 
of  small  wares  and  trinkets  with  which  to  trade  with  the 
Indians  among  whom  they  must  spend  so  many  months 
before  reaching  civilization  again.  They  had  ample  letters 
of  credit  from  the  Government  at  Washington,  and  if  they 
had  met  with  white  traders  on  the  seacoast,  they  could 
have  bought  anything  that  money  would  buy.  They  had 
spent  nearly  all  their  stock  in  coming  across  the  continent. 
This  is  Captain  Lewis’s  summary  of  the  goods  on  hand 
just  before  leaving  Fort  Clatsop:  — 

“ All  the  small  merchandise  we  possess  might  be  tied 
up  in  a couple  of  handkerchiefs.  The  rest  of  our  stock  in 


254 


First  Across  the  Continent 


trade  consists  of  six  blue  robes,  one  scarlet  ditto,  five  robes 
which  we  made  out  of  our  large  United  States  flag,  a few 
old  clothes  trimmed  with  ribbons,  and  one  artillerist’s  uni- 
form coat  and  hat,  which  probably  Captain  Clark  will  never 
wear  again.  We  have  to  depend  entirely  upon  this  meagre 
outfit  for  the  purchase  of  such  horses  and  provisions  as  it 
will  be  in  our  power  to  obtain  — a scant  dependence,  in- 
deed, for  such  a journey  as  is  before  us.” 

One  of  their  last  acts  was  to  draw  up  a full  list  of  the 
members  of  the  party,  and,  making  several  copies  of  it,  to 
leave  these  among  the  friendly  Indians  with  instructions  to 
give  a paper  to  the  first  white  men  who  should  arrive  in 
the  country.  On  the  back  of  the  paper  was  traced  the 
track  by  which  the  explorers  had  come  and  that  by  which 
they  expected  to  return.  This  is  a copy  of  one  of  these 
important  documents : — 

“ The  object  of  this  list  is,  that  through  the  medium  of 
some  civilized  person  who  may  see  the  same,  it  may  be 
made  known  to  the  informed  world,  that  the  party  consist- 
ing of  the  persons  whose  names  are  hereunto  annexed,  and 
who  were  sent  out  by  the  government  of  the  U’States  in 
May,  1804,  to  explore  the  interior  of  the  Continent  of 
North  America,  did  penetrate  the  same  by  way  of  the 
Missouri  and  Columbia  Rivers,  to  the  discharge  of  the 
latter  into  the  Pacific  Ocean,  where  they  arrived  on 
the  14th  of  November,  1805,  and  from  whence  they  de- 
parted the  23d  day  of  March,  1806,  on  their  return  to  the 
United  States  by  the  same  rout  they  had  come  out.” 

Curiously  enough,  one  of  these  papers  did  finally  reach 
the  United  States.  During  the  summer  of  1806,  the  brig 
“ Lydia,”  Captain  Hill,  entered  the  Columbia  for  the  pur- 
pose of  trading  with  the  natives.  From  one  of  these  Cap- 
tain Hill  secured  the  paper,  which  he  took  to  Canton, 


With  Faces  turned  Homeward  255 


China,  in  January,  1807.  Thence  it  was  sent  to  a gentle- 
man in  Philadelphia,  having  travelled  nearly  all  the  way 
round  the  world. 

Fort  Clatsop,  as  they  called  the  rude  collection  of  huts 
in  which  they  had  burrowed  all  winter,  with  its  rude  furni- 
ture and  shelters,  was  formally  given  to  Comowool,  the 
Clatsop  chief  who  had  been  so  kind  to  the  party.  Doubt- 
less the  crafty  savage  had  had  his  eye  on  this  establish- 
ment, knowing  that  it  was  to  be  abandoned  in  the  spring. 

The  voyagers  left  Fort  Clatsop  about  one  o’clock  in  the 
day,  and,  after  making  sixteen  miles  up  the  river,  camped 
for  the  night.  Next  day,  they  reached  an  Indian  village 
where  they  purchased  “ some  wappatoo  and  a dog  for  the 
invalids.”  They  still  had  several  men  on  the  sick  list  in 
consequence  of  the  hard  fare  of  the  winter.  The  weather 
was  cold  and  wet,  and  wood  for  fuel  was  difficult  to  obtain. 
In  a few  days  they  found  themselves  among  their  old 
friends,  the  Skilloots,  who  had  lately  been  at  war  with  the 
Chinooks.  There  was  no  direct  intercourse  between  the 
two  nations  as  yet,  but  the  Chinooks  traded  with  the  Clat- 
sops  and  Wahkiacums,  and  these  in  turn  traded  with  the 
Skilloots,  and  in  this  way  the  two  hostile  tribes  exchanged 
the  articles  which  they  had  for  those  which  they  desired. 
The  journal  has  this  to  say  about  the  game  of  an  island  on 
which  the  explorers  tarried  for  a day  or  two,  in  order  to 
dry  their  goods  and  mend  their  canoes : — 

“ This  island,  which  has  received  from  the  Indians  the 
appropriate  name  of  Elalah  [Elallah],  or  Deer  Island,  is 
surrounded  on  the  water-side  by  an  abundant  growth  of 
cottonwood,  ash,  and  willow,  while  the  interior  consists 
chiefly  of  prairies  interspersed  with  ponds.  These  afford 
refuge  to  great  numbers  of  geese,  ducks,  large  swan,  sand- 
hill cranes,  a few  canvas-backed  ducks,  and  particularly 


256  First  Across  the  Continent 


the  duckinmallard,  the  most  abundant  of  all.  There  are 
also  great  numbers  of  snakes  resembling  our  garter-snakes 
in  appearance,  and  like  them  not  poisonous.  Our  hunters 
brought  in  three  deer,  a goose,  some  ducks,  an  eagle,  and 
a tiger-cat.  Such  is  the  extreme  voracity  of  the  vultures, 
that  they  had  devoured  in  the  space  of  a few  hours  four 
of  the  deer  killed  this  morning;  and  one  of  our  men  de- 
clared that  they  had  besides  dragged  a large  buck  about 
thirty  yards,  skinned  it,  and  broken  the  backbone.” 

The  vulture  here  referred  to  is  better  known  as  the  Cali- 
fornia condor,  a great  bird  of  prey  which  is  now  so  nearly 
extinct  that  few  specimens  are  ever  seen,  and  the  eggs 
command  a great  price  from  those  who  make  collections 
of  such  objects.  A condor  killed  by  one  of  the  hunters  of 
the  Lewis  and  Clark  expedition  measured  nine  feet  and  six 
inches  from  tip  to  tip  of  its  wings,  three  feet  and  ten  inches 
from  the  point  of  the  bill  to  the  end  of  the  tail,  and  six 
inches  and  a half  from  the  back  of  the  head  to  the  tip  of 
the  beak.  Very  few  of  the  condors  of  the  Andes  are  much 
larger  than  this,  though  one  measuring  eleven  feet  from 
tip  to  tip  has  been  reported. 

While  camped  at  Quicksand,  or  Sandy  River,  the  party 
learned  that  food  supplies  up  the  Columbia  were  scarce. 
The  journal  says  that  the  Indians  met  here  were  descend- 
ing the  river  in  search  of  food.  It  adds  : — 

“ They  told  us,  that  they  lived  at  the  Great  Rapids ; but 
that  the  scarcity  of  provisions  there  had  induced  them  to 
come  down,  in  the  hopes  of  finding  subsistence  in  the  more 
fertile  valley.  All  the  people  living  at  the  Rapids,  as  well 
as  the  nations  above  them,  were  in  much  distress  for  want 
of  food,  having  consumed  their  winter  store  of  dried  fish, 
and  not  expecting  the  return  of  the  salmon  before  the  next 
full  moon,  which  would  be  on  the  second  of  May : this  in- 


With  Faces  turned  Homeward 


257 


formation  was  not  a little  embarrassing.  From  the  Falls 
to  the  Chopunnish  nation,  the  plains  afforded  neither  deer, 
elk,  nor  antelope  for  our  subsistence.  The  horses  were 
very  poor  at  this  season,  and  the  dogs  must  be  in  the  same 
condition,  if  their  food,  the  dried  fish,  had  failed.  Still,  it 
was  obviously  inexpedient  for  us  to  wait  for  the  return  of 
the  salmon,  since  in  that  case  we  might  not  reach  the  Mis- 
souri before  the  ice  would  prevent  our  navigating  it.  We 
might,  besides,  hazard  the  loss  of  our  horses,  as  the  Cho- 
punnish, with  whom  we  had  left  them,  would  cross  the 
mountains  as  early  as  possible,  or  about  the  beginning  of 
May,  and  take  our  horses  with  them,  or  suffer  them  to  dis- 
perse, in  either  of  which  cases  the  passage  of  the  moun- 
tains will  be  almost  impracticable.  We  therefore,  after 
much  deliberation,  decided  to  remain  where  we  were  till 
we  could  collect  meat  enough  to  last  us  till  we  should 
reach  the  Chopunnish  nation,  and  to  obtain  canoes  from 
the  natives  as  we  ascended,  either  in  exchange  for  our 
pirogues,  or  by  purchasing  them  with  skins  and  merchan- 
dise. These  canoes,  again,  we  might  exchange  for  horses 
with  the  natives  of  the  plains,  till  we  should  obtain  enough 
to  travel  altogether  by  land.  On  reaching  the  southeast 
branch  of  the  Columbia,  four  or  five  men  could  be  sent  on 
to  the  Chopunnish  to  have  our  horses  in  readiness;  and 
thus  we  should  have  a stock  of  horses  sufficient  both  to 
transport  our  baggage  and  supply  us  with  food,  as  we  now 
perceived  that  they  would  form  our  only  certain  depend- 
ance  for  subsistence.” 

On  the  third  of  April  this  entry  is  made:  — 

“ A considerable  number  of  Indians  crowded  about  us 
to-day,  many  of  whom  came  from  the  upper  part  of  the 
river.  These  poor  wretches  confirm  the  reports  of  scarcity 
among  the  nations  above ; which,  indeed,  their  appearance 

17 


258  First  Across  the  Continent 


sufficiently  proved,  for  they  seemed  almost  starved,  and 
greedily  picked  the  bones  and  refuse  meat  thrown  away 
by  us. 

“ In  the  evening  Captain  Clark  returned  from  an  excur- 
sion. On  setting  out  yesterday  at  half-past  eleven  o’clock, 
he  directed  his  course  along  the  south  side  of  the  [Columbia] 
river,  where,  at  the  distance  of  eight  miles,  he  passed  a 
village  of  the  Nechacohee  tribe,  belonging  to  the  Eloot 
nation.  The  village  itself  is  small,  and  being  situated 
behind  Diamond  Island,  was  concealed  from  our  view  as 
we  passed  both  times  along  the  northern  shore.  He  con- 
tinued till  three  o’clock,  when  he  landed  at  the  single  house 
already  mentioned  as  the  only  remains  of  a village  of  twenty- 
four  straw  huts.  Along  the  shore  were  great  numbers  of 
small  canoes  for  gathering  wappatoo,  which  were  left  by 
the  Shahalas,  who  visit  the  place  annually.  The  present 
inhabitants  of  the  house  are  part  of  the  Neerchokioo  tribe 
of  the  same  [Shahala]  nation.  On  entering  one  of  the 
apartments  of  the  house,  Captain  Clark  offered  several 
articles  to  the  Indians  in  exchange  for  wappatoo ; but 
they  appeared  sullen  and  ill-humored,  and  refused  to  give 
him  any.  He  therefore  sat  down  by  the  fire  opposite  the 
men,  and  taking  a port-fire  match  from  his  pocket,  threw 
a small  piece  of  it  into  the  flame ; at  the  same  time  he 
took  his  pocket-compass,  and  by  means  of  a magnet, 
which  happened  to  be  in  his  inkhorn,  made  the  needle 
turn  round  very  briskly.  The  match  now  took  fire  and 
burned  violently,  on  which  the  Indians,  terrified  at  this 
strange  exhibition,  immediately  brought  a quantity  of 
wappatoo  and  laid  it  at  his  feet,  begging  him  to  put  out 
the  bad  fire,  while  an  old  woman  continued  to  speak  with 
great  vehemence,  as  if  praying  and  imploring  protection. 
Having  received  the  roots,  Captain  Clark  put  up  the  com- 


With  Faces  turned  Homeward 


259 


pass,  and  as  the  match  went  out  of  itself  tranquillity  was 
restored,  though  the  women  and  children  still  took  refuge 
in  their  beds  and  behind  the  men.  He  now  paid  them  for 
what  he  had  used,  and  after  lighting  his  pipe  and  smoking 
with  them,  continued  down  the  river.” 

The  excursion  from  which  Captain  Clark  had  returned, 
as  noted  in  this  extract,  was  up  the  Multnomah  River. 
As  we  have  already  seen,  the  explorers  missed  that  stream 
when  they  came  down  the  Columbia ; and  they  had  now 
passed  it  again  unnoticed,  owing  to  the  number  of  strag- 
gling islands  that  hide  its  junction  with  the  Columbia. 
Convinced  that  a considerable  river  must  drain  the  region 
to  the  south,  Captain  Clark  went  back  alone  and  pene- 
trating the  intricate  channels  among  the  islands,  found  the 
mouth  of  the  Multnomah,  now  better  known  as  the 
Willamette.  He  was  surprised  to  find  that  the  depth  of 
water  in  the  river  was  so  great  that  large  vessels  might 
enter  it.  He  would  have  been  much  more  surprised  if  he 
had  been  told  that  a large  city,  the  largest  in  Oregon, 
would  some  day  be  built  on  the  site  of  the  Indian  huts 
which  he  saw.  Here  Captain  Clark  found  a house  occu- 
pied by  several  families  of  the  Neechecolee  nation.  Their 
mansion  was  two  hundred  and  twenty-six  feet  long  and  was 
divided  into  apartments  thirty  feet  square. 

The  most  important  point  in  this  region  of  the  Columbia 
was  named  Wappatoo  Island  by  the  explorers.  This  is  a 
large  extent  of  country  lying  between  the  Willamette  and 
an  arm  of  the  Columbia  which  they  called  Wappatoo  Inlet, 
but  which  is  now  known  as  Willamette  Slough.  It  is 
twenty  miles  long  and  from  five  to  ten  miles  wide.  Here 
is  an  interesting  description  of  the  manner  of  gathering 
the  roots  of  the  wappatoo,  of  which  we  have  heard  so 
much  in  this  region  of  country:  — 


260 


First  Across  the  Continent 


“ The  chief  wealth  of  this  island  consists  of  the  numer- 
ous ponds  in  the  interior,  abounding  with  the  common 
arrowhead  (sagittaria  sagittifolia)  to  the  root  of  which  is 
attached  a bulb  growing  beneath  it  in  the  mud.  This 
bulb,  to  which  the  Indians  give  the  name  of  wappatoo,  is 
the  great  article  of  food,  and  almost  the  staple  article  of 
commerce  on  the  Columbia.  It  is  never  out  of  season ; so 
that  at  all  times  of  the  year  the  valley  is  frequented  by  the 
neighboring  Indians  who  come  to  gather  it.  It  is  collected 
chiefly  by  the  women,  who  employ  for  the  purpose  canoes 
from  ten  to  fourteen  feet  in  length,  about  two  feet  wide  and 
nine  inches  deep,  and  tapering  from  the  middle,  where  they 
are  about  twenty  inches  wide.  They  are  sufficient  to  con- 
tain a single  person  and  several  bushels  of  roots,  yet  so  very 
light  that  a woman  can  carry  them  with  ease.  She  takes 
one  of  these  canoes  into  a pond  where  the  water  is  as  high 
as  the  breast,  and  by  means  of  her  toes  separates  from  the 
root  this  bulb,  which  on  being  freed  from  the  mud  rises 
immediately  to  the  surface  of  the  water,  and  is  thrown 
into  the  canoe.  In  this  manner  these  patient  females 
remain  in  the  water  for  several  hours,  even  in  the  depth  of 
winter.  This  plant  is  found  through  the  whole  extent  of 
the  valley  in  which  we  now  are,  but  does  not  grow  on  the 
Columbia  farther  eastward.” 

The  natives  of  this  inland  region,  the  explorers  found, 
were  larger  and  better-shaped  than  those  of  the  sea-coast, 
but  they  were  nearly  all  afflicted  with  sore  eyes.  The  loss 
of  one  eye  was  common,  and  not  infrequently  total  blind- 
ness was  observed  in  men  of  mature  years,  while  blindness 
was  almost  universal  among  the  old  people.  The  white 
men  made  good  use  of  the  eye-water  which  was  among 
their  supplies;  it  was  gratefully  received  by  the  natives 
and  won  them  friends  among  the  people  they  met.  On 
the  fifth  of  April  the  journal  has  this  entry:  — 


With  Faces  turned  Homeward 


261 


“ In  the  course  of  his  chase  yesterday,  one  of  our  men 
[Collins],  who  had  killed  a bear,  found  the  den  of  another 
with  three  cubs  in  it.  He  returned  to-day  in  hopes  of 
finding  her,  but  brought  only  the  cubs,  without  being 
able  to  see  the  dam ; and  on  this  occasion  Drewyer,  our 
most  experienced  huntsman,  assured  us  that  he  had  never 
known  a single  instance  where  a female  bear,  which  had 
once  been  disturbed  by  a hunter  and  obliged  to  leave  her 
young,  returned  to  them  again.  The  young  bears  were 
sold  for  wappatoo  to  some  of  the  many  Indians  who 
visited  us  in  parties  during  the  day  and  behaved  very 
well.” 

And  on  the  ninth  is  this  entry : — 

“ The  wind  having  moderated,  we  reloaded  the  canoes 
and  set  out  by  seven  o’clock.  We  stopped  to  take  up  the 
two  hunters  who  left  us  yesterday,  but  were  unsuccessful 
in  the  chase,  and  then  proceeded  to  the  Wahclellah  village, 
situated  on  the  north  side  of  the  river,  about  a mile  below 
Beacon  Rock.  During  the  whole  of  the  route  from  camp 
we  passed  along  under  high,  steep,  and  rocky  sides  of 
the  mountains,  which  now  close  on  each  side  of  the  river, 
forming  stupendous  precipices,  covered  with  fir  and  white 
cedar.  Down  these  heights  frequently  descend  the  most 
beautiful  cascades,  one  of  which,  a large  creek,  throws  it- 
self over  a perpendicular  rock  three  hundred  feet  above  the 
water,  while  other  smaller  streams  precipitate  themselves 
from  a still  greater  elevation,  and  evaporating  in  a mist, 
collect  again  and  form  a second  cascade  before  they  reach 
the  bottom  of  the  rocks.  We  stopped  to  breakfast  at 
this  village.  We  here  found  the  tomahawk  which  had 
been  stolen  from  us  on  the  fourth  of  last  November.  They 
assured  us  they  had  bought  it  of  the  Indians  below;  but 
as  the  latter  had  already  informed  us  that  the  Wahclellahs 


262 


First  Across  the  Continent 


had  such  an  article,  which  they  had  stolen,  we  made  no 
difficulty  about  retaking  our  property.” 

The  Columbia  along  the  region  through  which  the  ex- 
pedition was  now  passing  is  a very  wild  and  picturesque 
stream.  The  banks  are  high  and  rocky,  and  some  of  the 
precipices  to  which  the  journal  refers  are  of  a vast  per- 
pendicular height.  On  the  Oregon  side  of  the  river  are 
five  cascades  such  as  those  which  the  journal  mentions. 
The  most  famous  and  beautiful  of  these  is  known  as 
Multnomah  Falls.  This  cataract  has  a total  fall  of  more 
than  six  hundred  feet,  divided  into  two  sections.  The 
other  cascades  are  the  Bridal  Veil,  the  Horsetail,  the 
Latourelle,  and  the  Oneonta,  and  all  are  within  a few  miles 
of  each  other. 

On  the  ninth  of  April  the  voyagers  reached  the  point  at 
which  they  were  to  leave  tidewater,  fifty-six  miles  above 
the  mouth  of  the  Multnomah,  or  Willamette.  They  were 
now  at  the  entrance  of  the  great  rapids  which  are  known 
as  the  Cascades  of  the  Columbia,  and  which  occupy  a 
space  on  the  river  about  equal  to  four  miles  and  a half. 
They  were  still  navigating  the  stream  with  their  canoes, 
camping  sometimes  on  the  north  side  and  sometimes  on 
the  south  side  of  the  river.  This  time  they  camped  on  the 
north  side,  and  during  the  night  lost  one  of  their  boats, 
which  got  loose  and  drifted  down  to  the  next  village  of  the 
Wahclellahs,  some  of  whom  brought  it  back  to  the  white 
men’s  camp  and  were  rewarded  for  their  honesty  by  a 
present  of  two  knives.  It  was  found  necessary  to  make 
a portage  here,  but  a long  and  severe  rainstorm  set  in,  and 
the  tents  and  the  skins  used  for  protecting  the  baggage 
were  soaked.  The  journal  goes  on  with  the  narrative 
thus : — 

“ We  determined  to  take  the  canoes  first  over  the  port- 


: Gvecvt 

:> falx  <nt  >"•  rt.fai 


Falls  of  the  Columbia 


With  Faces  turned  Homeward 


age,  in  hopes  that  by  the  afternoon  the  rain  would  cease, 
and  we  might  carry  our  baggage  across  without  injury. 
This  was  immediately  begun  by  almost  the  whole  party, 
who  in  the  course  of  the  day  dragged  four  of  the  canoes 
to  the  head  of  the  rapids,  with  great  difficulty  and  labor. 
A guard,  consisting  of  one  sick  man  and  three  who  had 
been  lamed  by  accidents,  remained  with  Captain  Lewis 
[and  a cook]  to  guard  the  baggage.  This  precaution  was 
absolutely  necessary  to  protect  it  from  the  Wahclellahs, 
whom  we  discovered  to  be  great  thieves,  notwithstanding 
their  apparent  honesty  in  restoring  our  boat;  indeed,  so 
arrogant  and  intrusive  have  they  become  that  nothing  but 
our  numbers,  we  are  convinced,  saves  us  from  attack. 
They  crowded  about  us  while  we  were  taking  up  the 
boats,  and  one  of  them  had  the  insolence  to  throw  stones 
down  the  bank  at  two  of  our  men. 

“We  now  found  it  necessary  to  depart  from  our  mild 
and  pacific  course  of  conduct.  On  returning  to  the  head 
of  the  portage,  many  of  them  met  our  men  and  seemed 
very  ill-disposed.  Shields  had  stopped  to  purchase  a dog, 
and  being  separated  from  the  rest  of  the  party,  two  Indians 
pushed  him  out  of  the  road,  and  attempted  to  take  the 
dog  from  him.  He  had  no  weapon  but  a long  knife,  with 
which  he  immediately  attacked  them  both,  hoping  to  put 
them  to  death  before  they  had  time  to  draw  their  arrows ; 
but  as  soon  as  they  saw  his  design  they  fled  into  the 
woods.  Soon  afterward  we  were  told  by  an  Indian  who 
spoke  Clatsop,  which  we  had  ourselves  learned  during  the 
winter,  that  the  Wahclellahs  had  carried  off  Captain  Lewis’ 
dog  to  their  village  below.  Three  men  well  armed  were 
instantly  despatched  in  pursuit  of  them,  with  orders  to  fire 
if  there  was  the  slightest  resistance  or  hesitation.  At  the 
distance  of  two  miles  they  came  within  sight  of  the  thieves. 


264 


First  Across  the  Continent 


who,  finding  themselves  pursued,  left  the  dog  and  made 
off.  We  now  ordered  all  the  Indians  out  of  our  camp, 
and  explained  to  them  that  whoever  stole  any  of  our 
baggage,  or  insulted  our  men,  should  be  instantly  shot; 
a resolution  which  we  were  determined  to  enforce,  as  it 
was  now  our  only  means  of  safety. 

“ We  were  visited  during  the  day  by  a chief  of  the  Clah- 
clellahs,  who  seemed  mortified  at  the  behavior  of  the 
Indians,  and  told  us  that  the  persons  at  the  head  of  their 
outrages  were  two  very  bad  men  who  belonged  to  the 
Wahclellah  tribe,  but  that  the  nation  did  not  by  any  means 
wish  to  displease  us.  This  chief  seemed  very  well-disposed, 
and  we  had  every  reason  to  believe  was  much  respected 
by  the  neighboring  Indians.  We  therefore  gave  him  a 
small  medal  and  showed  him  all  the  attention  in  our 
power,  with  which  he  appeared  very  much  gratified.” 

The  portage  of  these  rapids  was  very  difficult  and  tire- 
some. The  total  distance  of  the  first  stage  was  twenty-eight 
hundred  yards  along  a narrow  way  rough  with  rocks  and 
now  slippery  with  rain.  One  of  the  canoes  was  lost  here  by 
being  driven  out  into  the  strong  current,  where  the  force  of 
the  water  was  so  great  that  it  could  not  be  held  by  the 
men  ; the  frail  skiff  drifted  down  the  rapids  and  disappeared. 
They  now  had  two  canoes  and  two  periogues  left,  and  the 
loads  were  divided  among  these  craft.  This  increased  the 
difficulties  of  navigation,  and  Captain  Lewis  crossed  over 
to  the  south  side  of  the  river  in  search  of  canoes  to  be 
purchased  from  the  Indians,  who  lived  in  a village  on  that 
side  of  the  stream.  The  narrative  continues : — 

“ The  village  now  consisted  of  eleven  houses,  crowded  with 
inhabitants,  and  about  sixty  fighting  men.  They  were  very 
well  disposed,  and  we  found  no  difficulty  in  procuring  two 
small  canoes,  in  exchange  for  two  robes  and  four  elk-skins. 


With  Faces  turned  Homeward  265 


He  also  purchased  with  deer-skins  three  dogs,  — an  animal 
which  has  now  become  a favorite  food,  for  it  is  found  to  be 
a strong,  healthy  diet,  preferable  to  lean  deer  or  elk,  and 
much  superior  to  horseflesh  in  any  state.  With  these  he 
proceeded  along  the  south  side  of  the  river,  and  joined  us 
in  the  evening.” 

Above  the  rapids  the  party  encountered  two  tribes  of 
Indians  from  whom  they  endeavored  to  buy  horses,  for 
they  were  now  approaching  a point  when  they  must  leave 
the  river  and  travel  altogether  by  land.  One  of  these 
tribes  was  known  as  the  Weocksockwillacums,  and  the 
other  was  the  Chilluckittequaws.  These  jaw-breaking 
names  are  commended  to  those  who  think  that  the  Indian 
names  of  northern  Maine  are  difficult  to  handle.  Trees 
were  now  growing  scarcer,  and  the  wide  lowlands  spread 
out  before  the  explorers  stretched  to  the  base  of  the  Bitter 
Root  Mountains  without  trees,  but  covered  with  luxuriant 
grass  and  herbage.  After  being  confined  so  long  to  the 
thick  forests  and  mountains  of  the  seacoast,  the  party 
found  this  prospect  very  exhilarating,  notwithstanding  the 
absence  of  forests  and  thickets.  The  climate,  too,  was 
much  more  agreeable  than  that  to  which  they  had  lately 
been  accustomed,  being  dry  and  pure. 


Chapter  XX 

The  Last  Stage  of  the  Columbia 


ON  the  thirteenth  of  April  the  party  reached  the  series 
of  falls  and  rapids  which  they  called  the  Long  Nar- 
rows. At  the  point  reached  the  river  is  confined,  for  a 
space  of  about  fourteen  miles,  to  narrow  channels  and 
rocky  falls.  The  Long  Narrows  are  now  known  as  the 
Dalles.  The  word  “ dalles  ” is  French,  and  signifies  flag- 
stones, such  as  are  used  for  sidewalks.  Many  of  the  rocks 
in  these  narrows  are  nearly  flat  on  top,  and  even  the  pre- 
cipitous banks  look  like  walls  of  rock.  At  the  upper  end 
of  the  rapids,  or  dalles,  is  Celilo  City,  and  at  the  lower  end 
is  Dalles  City,  sometimes  known  as  “ The  Dalles.”  Both 
of  these  places  are  in  Oregon ; the  total  fall  of  the  water 
from  Celilo  to  the  Dalles  is  over  eighty  feet.  Navigation 
of  these  rapids  is  impossible.  As  the  explorers  had  no 
further  use  for  their  pirogues,  they  broke  them  up  for 
fuel.  The  merchandise  was  laboriously  carried  around 
on  the  river  bank.  They  were  able  to  buy  four  horses 
from  the  Skilloots  for  which  they  paid  well  in  goods.  It 
was  now  nearly  time  for  the  salmon  to  begin  to  run,  and 
under  date  of  April  19  the  journal  has  this  entry:  — 

“The  whole  village  was  filled  with  rejoicing  to-day  at 
having  caught  a single  salmon,  which  was  considered  as 
the  harbinger  of  vast  quantities  in  four  or  five  days.  In 
order  to  hasten  their  arrival  the  Indians,  according  to  cus- 
tom, dressed  the  fish  and  cut  it  into  small  pieces,  one  of 


The  Last  Stage  of  the  Columbia 


which  was  given  to  each  child  in  the  village.  In  the  good 
humor  excited  by  this  occurrence  they  parted,  though  re- 
luctantly, with  four  other  horses,  for  which  we  gave  them 
two  kettles,  reserving  only  a single  small  one  for  a mess  of 
eight  men.  Unluckily,  however,  we  lost  one  of  the  horses 
by  the  negligence  of  the  person  to  whose  charge  he  was 
committed.  The  rest  were,  therefore,  hobbled  and  tied; 
but  as  the  nations  here  do  not  understand  gelding,  all  the 
horses  but  one  were  stallions ; this  being  the  season  when 
they  are  most  vicious,  we  had  great  difficulty  in  managing 
them,  and  were  obliged  to  keep  watch  over  them  all  night. 

“ As  it  was  obviously  our  interest  to  preserve  the  good- 
will of  these  people,  we  passed  over  several  small  thefts 
which  they  committed,  but  this  morning  we  learnt  that  six 
tomahawks  and  a knife  had  been  stolen  during  the  night. 
We  addressed  ourselves  to  the  chief,  who  seemed  angry 
with  his  people,  and  made  a harangue  to  them ; but  we 
did  not  recover  the  articles,  and  soon  afterward  two  of  our 
spoons  were  missing.  We  therefore  ordered  them  all  from 
our  camp,  threatening  to  beat  severely  any  one  detected  in 
purloining.  This  harshness  irritated  them  so  much  that 
they  left  us  in  an  ill-humor,  and  we  therefore  kept  on  our 
guard  against  any  insult.  Besides  this  knavery,  the  faith- 
lessness of  the  people  is  intolerable ; frequently,  after 
receiving  goods  in  exchange  for  a horse,  they  return  in  a 
few  hours  and  insist  on  revoking  the  bargain  or  receiving 
some  additional  value.  We  discovered,  too,  that  the  horse 
which  was  missing  yesterday  had  been  gambled  away  by 
the  fellow  from  whom  we  had  purchased  him,  to  a man  of 
a different  nation,  who  had  carried  him  off.  We  succeeded 
in  buying  two  more  horses,  two  dogs,  and  some  chappelell , 
and  also  exchanged  a couple  of  elk-skins  for  a gun  belong- 


268 


First  Across  the  Continent 


in g to  the  chief.  . . . One  of  the  canoes,  for  which  the 
Indians  would  give  us  very  little,  was  cut  up  for  fuel ; two 
others,  together  with  some  elk-skins  and  pieces  of  old  iron, 
we  bartered  for  beads,  and  the  remaining  two  small  ones 
were  despatched  early  next  morning,  with  all  the  baggage 
which  could  not  be  carried  on  horseback.  We  had  in- 
tended setting  out  at  the  same  time,  but  one  of  our  horses 
broke  loose  during  the  night,  and  we  were  under  the  neces- 
sity of  sending  several  men  in  search  of  him.  In  the  mean 
time,  the  Indians,  who  were  always  on  the  alert,  stole  a 
tomahawk,  which  we  could  not  recover,  though  several  of 
them  were  searched ; and  another  fellow  was  detected  in 
carrying  off  a piece  of  iron,  and  kicked  out  of  camp  ; upon 
which  Captain  Lewis,  addressing  them,  told  them  he  was 
not  afraid  to  fight  them,  for,  if  he  chose,  he  could  easily 
put  them  all  to  death,  and  burn  their  village,  but  that  he 
did  not  wish  to  treat  them  ill  if  they  kept  from  stealing ; 
and  that,  although,  if  he  could  discover  who  had  the  toma- 
hawks, he  would  take  away  their  horses,  yet  he  would 
rather  lose  the  property  altogether  than  take  the  horse  of 
an  innocent  man.  The  chiefs  were  present  at  this  harangue, 
hung  their  heads,  and  made  no  reply. 

“ At  ten  o’clock  the  men  returned  with  the  horse,  and 
soon  after  an  Indian,  who  had  promised  to  go  with  us  as  far 
as  the  Chopunnish,  came  with  two  horses,  one  of  which  he 
politely  offered  to  assist  in  carrying  our  baggage.  We 
therefore  loaded  nine  horses,  and,  giving  the  tenth  to  Brat- 
ton, who  was  still  too  sick  to  walk,  at  about  ten  o’clock  left 
the  village  of  these  disagreeable  people.” 

At  an  Indian  village  which  they  reached  soon  after 
leaving  that  of  the  disagreeable  Skilloots,  they  found  the 
fellow  who  had  gambled  away  the  horse  that  he  had  sold. 
Being  faced  with  punishment,  he  agreed  to  replace  the 


The  Last  Stage  of  the  Columbia  269 


animal  he  had  stolen  with  another,  and  a very  good  horse 
was  brought  to  satisfy  the  white  men,  who  were  now 
determined  to  pursue  a rigid  course  with  the  thievish  In- 
dians among  whom  they  found  themselves.  These  people, 
the  Eneeshurs,  were  stingy,  inhospitable,  and  overbearing 
in  their  ways.  Nothing  but  the  formidable  numbers  of 
the  white  men  saved  them  from  insult,  pillage,  and  even 
murder.  While  they  were  here,  one  of  the  horses  belonging 
to  the  party  broke  loose  and  ran  towards  the  Indian  village. 
A buffalo  robe  attached  to  him  fell  off  and  was  gathered  in 
by  one  of  the  Eneeshurs.  Captain  Lewis,  whose  patience 
was  now  exhausted,  set  out,  determined  to  burn  the  village 
unless  the  Indians  restored  the  robe.  Fortunately,  how- 
ever, one  of  his  men  found  the  missing  article  hidden  in  a 
hut,  and  so  any  act  of  violent  reprisal  was  not  necessary. 

So  scarce  had  now  become  fuel,  the  party  were  obliged 
to  buy  what  little  wood  they  required  for  their  single  cook- 
ing-fire. They  could  not  afford  a fire  to  keep  them  warm, 
and,  as  the  nights  were  cold  and  they  lay  without  any 
shelter,  they  were  most  uncomfortable,  although  the  days 
were  warm.  They  were  now  travelling  along  the  Columbia 
River,  using  their  horses  for  a part  of  their  luggage,  and 
towing  the  canoes  with  the  remainder  of  the  stuff.  On  the 
twenty-third  of  April  they  arrived  at  the  mouth  of  Rock 
Creek,  on  the  Columbia,  a considerable  stream  which  they 
missed  as  they  passed  this  point  on  their  way  down,  Oc- 
tober 21.  Here  they  met  a company  of  Indians  called  the 
Wahhowpum,  with  whom  they  traded  pewter  buttons,  strips 
of  tin  and  twisted  wire  for  roots,  dogs,  and  fuel.  These 
people  were  waiting  for  the  arrival  of  the  salmon.  The 
journal  says : — 

“ After  arranging  the  camp  we  assembled  all  the  war- 
riors, and  having  smoked  with  them,  the  violins  were 


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First  Across  the  Continent 


produced,  and  some  of  the  men  danced.  This  civility  was 
returned  by  the  Indians  in  a style  of  dancing  such  as  we 
had  not  yet  seen.  The  spectators  formed  a circle  round 
the  dancers,  who,  with  their  robes  drawn  tightly  round  the 
shoulders,  and  divided  into  parties  of  five  or  six  men,  per- 
form by  crossing  in  a line  from  one  side  of  the  circle  to 
the  other.  All  the  parties,  performers  as  well  as  specta- 
tors, sing,  and  after  proceeding  in  this  way  for  some  time, 
the  spectators  join,  and  the  whole  concludes  by  a promis- 
cuous dance  and  song.  Having  finished,  the  natives  retired 
at  our  request,  after  promising  to  barter  horses  with  us  in 
the  morning.” 

They  bought  three  horses  of  these  Indians  and  hired 
three  more  from  a Chopunnish  who  was  to  accompany 
them.  The  journal  adds:  — 

“ The  natives  also  had  promised  to  take  our  canoes  in 
exchange  for  horses ; but  when  they  found  that  we  were 
resolved  on  travelling  by  land  they  refused  giving  us  any- 
thing, in  hopes  that  we  would  be  forced  to  leave  them. 
Disgusted  at  this  conduct,  we  determined  rather  to  cut 
them  to  pieces  than  suffer  these  people  to  enjoy  them, 
and  actually  began  to  split  them,  on  which  they  gave  us 
several  strands  of  beads  for  each  canoe.  We  had  now  a 
sufficient  number  of  horses  to  carry  our  baggage,  and 
therefore  proceeded  wholly  by  land.” 

Next  day  the  party  camped  near  a tribe  of  Indians 
known  as  the  Pishquitpah.  These  people  had  never  seen 
white  men  before,  and  they  flocked  in  great  numbers 
around  the  strangers,  but  were  very  civil  and  hospitable, 
although  their  curiosity  was  rather  embarrassing.  These 
people  were  famous  hunters,  and  both  men  and  women  were 
excellent  riders.  They  were  now  travelling  on  the  south 
side  of  the  river,  in  Oregon,  and,  after  leaving  the 


The  Last  Stage  of  the  Columbia  271 


Pishquitpahs,  they  encountered  the  “ Wollawollahs,”  as 
they  called  them.  These  Indians  are  now  known  as  the 
Walla  Walla  tribe,  and  their  name  is  given  to  a river,  a 
town,  and  a fort  of  the  United  States.  In  several  of  the 
Indian  dialects  walla  means  “ running  water,”  and  when 
the  word  is  repeated,  it  diminishes  the  size  of  the  object; 
so  that  Walla  Walla  means  “ little  running  water.”  Near 
here  the  explorers  passed  the  mouth  of  a river  which  they 
called  the  Youmalolam;  it  is  a curious  example  of  the 
difficulty  of  rendering  Indian  names  into  English.  The 
stream  is  now  known  as  the  Umatilla.  Here  they  found 
some  old  acquaintances  of  whom  the  journal  has  this 
account : — 

“ Soon  after  we  were  joined  by  seven  Wollawollahs, 
among  whom  we  recognized  a chief  by  the  name  of 
Yellept,  who  had  visited  us  on  the  nineteenth  of  October, 
when  we  gave  him  a medal  with  the  promise  of  a larger 
one  on  our  return.  He  appeared  very  much  pleased  at 
seeing  us  again,  and  invited  us  to  remain  at  his  village 
three  or  four  days,  during  which  he  would  supply  us  with 
the  only  food  they  had,  and  furnish  us  with  horses  for  our 
journey.  After  the  cold,  inhospitable  treatment  we  have 
lately  received,  this  kind  offer  was  peculiarly  acceptable ; 
and  after  a hasty  meal  we  accompanied  him  to  his  village, 
six  miles  above,  situated  on  the  edge  of  the  low  country, 
about  twelve  miles  below  the  mouth  of  Lewis’  River. 

“ Immediately  on  our  arrival  Yellept,  who  proved  to  be 
a man  of  much  influence,  not  only  in  his  own  but  in  the 
neighboring  nations,  collected  the  inhabitants,  and  having 
made  a harangue,  the  purport  of  which  was  to  induce  the 
nations  to  treat  us  hospitably,  he  set  them  an  example 
by  bringing  himself  an  armful  of  wood,  and  a platter 
containing  three  roasted  mullets.  They  immediately  as- 


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sented  to  one  part,  at  least,  of  the  recommendation,  by 
furnishing  us  with  an  abundance  of  the  only  sort  of  fuel 
they  employ,  the  stems  of  shrubs  growing  in  the  plains. 
We  then  purchased  four  dogs,  on  which  we  supped  heartily, 
having  been  on  short  allowance  for  two  days  past.  When 
we  were  disposed  to  sleep,  the  Indians  retired  immediately 
on  our  request,  and  indeed,  uniformly  conducted  them- 
selves with  great  propriety.  These  people  live  on  roots, 
which  are  very  abundant  in  the  plains,  and  catch  a few 
salmon-trout ; but  at  present  they  seem  to  subsist  chiefly 
on  a species  of  mullet,  weighing  from  one  to  three  pounds. 
They  informed  us  that  opposite  the  village  there  was  a 
route  which  led  to  the  mouth  of  the  Kooskooskee,  on  the 
south  side  of  Lewis’  River ; that  the  road  itself  was  good, 
and  passed  over  a level  country  well  supplied  with  water 
and  grass ; and  that  we  should  meet  with  plenty  of  deer 
and  antelope.  We  knew  that  a road  in  that  direction 
would  shorten  the  distance  at  least  eighty  miles ; and  as 
the  report  of  our  guide  was  confirmed  by  Yellept  and 
other  Indians,  we  did  not  hesitate  to  adopt  this  route: 
they  added,  however,  that  there  were  no  houses,  nor  per- 
manent Indian  residences  on  the  road  and  that  it  would 
therefore  be  prudent  not  to  trust  wholly  to  our  guns,  but 
to  lay  in  a stock  of  provisions. 

“ Taking  their  advice,  therefore,  we  next  day  purchased 
ten  dogs.  While  the  trade  for  these  was  being  conducted 
by  our  men,  Yellept  brought  a fine  white  horse,  and  pre- 
sented him  to  Captain  Clark,  expressing  at  the  same  time 
a wish  to  have  a kettle ; but,  on  being  informed  that  we 
had  already  disposed  of  the  last  kettle  we  could  spare, 
he  said  he  would  be  content  with  any  present  we  chose 
to  make  him  in  return.  Captain  Clark  thereupon  gave 
him  his  sword,  for  which  the  chief  had  before  expressed 


The  Last  Stage  of  the  Columbia  273 


a desire,  adding  one  hundred  balls,  some  powder,  and 
other  small  articles,  with  which  he  appeared  perfectly 
satisfied.  We  were  now  anxious  to  depart,  and  requested 
Yellept  to  lend  us  canoes  for  the  purpose  of  crossing  the 
river ; but  he  would  not  listen  to  any  proposal  of  the  kind. 
He  wished  us  to  remain  for  two  or  three  days;  but,  at  all 
events,  would  not  consent  to  our  going  to-day,  for  he  had 
already  sent  to  invite  his  neighbors,  the  Chimnapoos,  to 
come  down  this  evening  and  join  his  people  in  a dance  for 
our  amusement.  We  urged  in  vain  that,  by  setting  out 
sooner,  we  would  the  earlier  return  with  the  articles  they 
desired;  for  a day,  he  observed,  would  make  but  little 
difference.  We  at  length  mentioned  that,  as  there  was  no 
wind  it  was  now  the  best  time  to  cross  the  river,  and  we 
would  merely  take  the  horses  over  and  return  to  sleep  at 
their  village.  To  this  he  assented ; we  then  crossed  with 
our  horses,  and  having  hobbled  them,  returned  to  their 
camp. 

“ Fortunately,  there  was  among  these  Wollwaollahs  a 
prisoner  belonging  to  a tribe  of  Shoshonee  or  Snake  In- 
dians, residing  to  the  south  of  the  Multnomah  and  visiting 
occasionally  the  heads  of  Wollawollah  Creek.  Our  Sho- 
shonee woman,  Sacajawea,  though  she  belonged  to  a tribe 
near  the  Missouri,  spoke  the  same  language  as  this  pris- 
oner ; by  their  means  we  were  able  to  explain  ourselves  to 
the  Indians,  and  answer  all  their  inquiries  with  respect  to 
ourselves  and  the  object  of  our  journey.  Our  conversa- 
tion inspired  them  with  much  confidence,  and  they  soon 
brought  several  sick  persons,  for  whom  they  requested  our 
assistance.  We  splintered  [splinted]  the  broken  arm  of 
one,  gave  some  relief  to  another,  whose  knee  was  contracted 
by  rheumatism,  and  administered  what  we  thought  benefi- 
cial for  ulcers  and  eruptions  of  the  skin  on  various  parts  of 

18 


First  Across  the  Continent 


274 


the  body,  which  are  very  common  disorders  among  them. 
But  our  most  valuable  medicine  was  eye-water,  which  we 
distributed,  and  which,  indeed,  they  required  very  much. 

“ A little  before  sunset  the  Chimnapoos,  amounting  to 
one  hundred  men  and  a few  women,  came  to  the  village, 
and,  joining  the  Wollawollahs,  who  were  about  the  same 
number  of  men,  formed  themselves  in  a circle  round  our 
camp,  and  waited  very  patiently  till  our  men  were  disposed 
to  dance,  which  they  did  for  about  an  hour,  to  the  music 
of  the  violin.  They  then  requested  the  Indians  to  dance. 
With  this  they  readily  complied ; and  the  whole  assem- 
blage, amounting,  with  the  women  and  children  of  the  vil- 
lage, to  several  hundred,  stood  up,  and  sang  and  danced 
at  the  same  time.  The  exercise  was  not,  indeed,  very 
violent  nor  very  graceful;  for  the  greater  part  of  them 
were  formed  into  a solid  column,  round  a kind  of  hollow 
square,  stood  on  the  same  place,  and  merely  jumped  up  at 
intervals,  to  keep  time  to  the  music.  Some,  however,  of 
the  more  active  warriors  entered  the  square  and  danced 
round  it  sideways,  and  some  of  our  men  joined  in  with 
them,  to  the  great  satisfaction  of  the  Indians.  The  dance 
continued  till  ten  o’clock.” 

By  the  thirtieth  of  April  the  expedition  was  equipped 
with  twenty-three  horses,  most  of  which  were  young  and 
excellent  animals;  but  many  of  them  were  afflicted  with 
sore  backs.  All  Indians  are  cruel  masters  and  hard  riders, 
and  their  saddles  are  so  rudely  made  that  it  is  almost  im- 
possible for  an  Indian’s  horse  to  be  free  from  scars ; yet 
they  continue  to  ride  after  the  animal’s  back  is  scarified  in 
the  most  horrible  manner. 

The  expedition  was  now  in  what  we  know  as  Walla 
Walla  County,  Washington,  and  they  were  travelling  along 
the  river  Walla  Walla,  leaving  the  Columbia,  which  has 


The  Last  Stage  of  the  Columbia  275 


here  a general  direction  of  northerly.  The  course  of  the 
party  was  northeast,  their  objective  point  being  that  where 
Waitesburg  is  now  built,  near  the  junction  of  Coppie  Creek 
and  the  Touchet  River.  They  were  in  a region  of  wood  in 
plenty,  and  for  the  first  time  since  leaving  the  Long  Nar- 
rows, or  Dalles,  they  had  as  much  fuel  as  they  needed. 
On  the  Touchet,  accordingly,  they  camped  for  the  sake 
of  having  a comfortable  night ; the  nights  were  cold,  and  a 
good  fire  by  which  to  sleep  was  an  attraction  not  easily 
resisted.  The  journal,  April  30,  has  this  entry:  — 

“ We  were  soon  supplied  by  Drewyer  with  a beaver  and 
an  otter,  of  which  we  took  only  a part  of  the  beaver,  and 
gave  the  rest  to  the  Indians.  The  otter  is  a favorite  food, 
though  much  inferior,  at  least  in  our  estimation,  to  the  dog, 
which  they  will  not  eat.  The  horse  is  seldom  eaten,  and 
never  except  when  absolute  necessity  compels  them,  as  the 
only  alternative  to  dying  of  hunger.  This  fastidiousness 
does  not,  however,  seem  to  proceed  so  much  from  any  dis- 
like to  the  food,  as  from  attachment  to  the  animal  itself; 
for  many  of  them  eat  very  heartily  of  the  horse-beef  which 
we  give  them.” 

On  the  first  day  of  May,  having  travelled  forty  miles 
from  their  camp  near  the  mouth  of  the  Walla  Walla,  they 
camped  between  two  points  at  which  are  now  situated  the 
two  towns  of  Prescott,  on  the  south,  and  Waitesburg,  on 
the  north.  Their  journal  says  : — 

“ We  had  scarcely  encamped  when  three  young  men 
came  up  from  the  Wollawollah  village,  with  a steel-trap 
which  had  inadvertently  been  left  behind,  and  which  they 
had  come  a whole  day’s  journey  in  order  to  restore.  This 
act  of  integrity  was  the  more  pleasing,  because,  though 
very  rare  among  Indians,  it  corresponded  perfectly  with 
the  general  behavior  of  the  Wollawollahs,  among  whom 


2j6 


First  Across  the  Continent 


we  had  lost  carelessly  several  knives,  which  were  always 
returned  as  soon  as  found.  We  may,  indeed,  justly  affirm, 
that  of  all  the  Indians  whom  we  had  met  since  leaving  the 
United  States,  the  Wollawollahs  were  the  most  hospitable, 
honest,  and  sincere.” 


Chapter  XXI 

Overland  east  of  the  Columbia 

IT  was  now  early  in  May,  and  the  expedition,  travel- 
ling eastward  along  Touchet  Creek,  were  in  the  coun- 
try of  their  friends,  the  Chopunnish.  On  the  third,  they 
were  agreeably  surprised  to  meet  Weahkootnut,  whom 
they  had  named  Bighorn  from  the  fact  that  he  wore  a 
horn  of  that  animal  suspended  from  his  left  arm.  This 
man  was  the  first  chief  of  a large  band  of  Chopunnish, 
and  when  the  expedition  passed  that  way,  on  .their  path 
to  the  Pacific,  the  last  autumn,  he  was  very  obliging  and 
useful  to  them,  guiding  them  down  the  Snake,  or  Lewis 
River.  He  had  now  heard  that  the  white  men  were  on 
their  return,  and  he  had  come  over  across  the  hills  to 
meet  them.  As  we  may  suppose,  the  meeting  was  very 
cordial,  and  Weahkootnut  turned  back  with  his  white 
friends  and  accompanied  them  to  the  mouth  of  the  Koos- 
kooskee,  a stream  of  which  our  readers  have  heard  before ; 
it  is  now  known  as  the  Clearwater. 

Captain  Lewis  told  Weahkootnut  that  his  people  were 
hungry,  their  slender  stock  of  provisions  being  about 
exhausted.  The  chief  told  them  that  they  would  soon 
come  to  a Chopunnish  house  where  they  could  get  food. 
But  the  journal  has  this  entry:  — 

“ We  found  the  house  which  Weahkootnut  had  men- 
tioned, where  we  halted  for  breakfast.  It  contained  six 
families,  so  miserably  poor  that  all  we  could  obtain  from 


278  First  Across  the  Continent 


them  were  two  lean  dogs  and  a few  large  cakes  of  half- 
cured  bread,  made  of  a root  resembling  the  sweet  potato, 
of  all  which  we  contrived  to  form  a kind  of  soup.  The 
soil  of  the  plain  is  good,  but  it  has  no  timber.  The  range 
of  southwest  mountains  is  about  fifteen  miles  above  us, 
but  continues  to  lower,  and  is  still  covered  with  snow  to 
its  base.  After  giving  passage  to  Lewis’  [Snake]  River, 
near  their  northeastern  extremity,  they  terminate  in  a 
high  level  plain  between  that  river  and  the  Kooskooskee. 
The  salmon  not  having  yet  called  them  to  the  rivers,  the 
greater  part  of  the  Chopunnish  are  now  dispersed  in  vil- 
lages through  this  plain,  for  the  purpose  of  collecting 
quamash  and  cows,  which  here  grow  in  great  abundance, 
the  soil  being  extremely  fertile,  in  many  places  covered 
with  long-leaved  pine,  larch,  and  balsam-fir,  which  con- 
tribute to  render  it  less  thirsty  than  the  open,  unsheltered 
plains.” 

By  the  word  “cows,”  in  this  sentence,  we  must  under- 
stand that  the  story-teller  meant  cowas,  a root  eaten  by 
the  Indians  and  white  explorers  in  that  distant  region. 
It  is  a knobbed,  irregular  root,  and  when  cooked  re- 
sembles the  ginseng.  At  this  place  the  party  met  some 
of  the  Indians  whom  Captain  Clark  had  treated  for 
slight  diseases,  when  they  passed  that  way,  the  previous 
autumn.  They  had  sounded  the  praises  of  the  white  men 
and  their  medicine,  and  others  were  now  waiting  to  be 
treated  in  the  same  manner.  The  Indians  were  glad  to 
pay  for  their  treatment,  and  the  white  men  were  not 
sorry  to  find  this  easy  method  of  adding  to  their  stock 
of  food,  which  was  very  scanty  at  this  time.  The  journal 
sagely  adds,  “We  cautiously  abstain  from  giving  them 
any  but  harmless  medicines;  and  as  we  cannot  possibly 
do  harm,  our  prescriptions,  though  unsanctioned  by  the 


Overland  east  of  the  Columbia  279 


faculty,  may  be  useful,  and  are  entitled  to  some  remu- 
neration.” Very  famous  and  accomplished  doctors  might 
say  the  same  thing  of  their  practice.  But  the  explorers 
did  not  meet  with  pleasant  acquaintances  only;  in  the 
very  next  entry  is  recorded  this  disagreeable  incident : 

“ Four  miles  beyond  this  house  we  came  to  another 
large  one,  containing  ten  families,  where  we  halted  and 
made  our  dinner  on  two  dogs  and  a small  quantity  of 
roots,  which  we  did  not  procure  without  much  difficulty. 
Whilst  we  were  eating,  an  Indian  standing  by,  looking 
with  great  derision  at  our  eating  dogs,  threw  a poor  half- 
starved  puppy  almost  into  Captain  Lewis’  plate,  laughing 
heartily  at  the  humor  of  it.  Captain  Lewis  took  up  the 
animal  and  flung  it  with  great  force  into  the  fellow’s 
face;  and  seizing  his  tomahawk,  threatened  to  cut  him 
down  if  he  dared  to  repeat  such  insolence.  He  imme- 
diately withdrew,  apparently  much  mortified,  and  we 
continued  our  repast  of  dog  very  quietly.  Here  we  met 
our  old  Chopunnish  guide,  with  his  family;  and  soon 
afterward  one  of  our  horses,  which  had  been  separated 
from  the  rest  in  charge  of  Twisted-hair,  and  had  been 
in  this  neighborhood  for  several  weeks,  was  caught  and 
restored  to  us.” 

Later  in  that  day  the  party  came  to  a Chopunnish  house 
which  was  one  hundred  and  fifty-six  feet  long  and  fifteen 
feet  wide.  Thirty  families  were  living  in  this  big  house, 
each  family  having  its  fire  by  itself  burning  on  the 
earthen  floor,  along  through  the  middle  of  the  great 
structure.  The  journal  says:  — 

“We  arrived  very  hungry  and  weary,  but  could  not 
purchase  any  provisions,  except  a small  quantity  of  the 
roots  and  bread  of  the  cows.  They  had,  however,  heard 
of  our  medical  skill,  and  made  many  applications  for 


280 


First  Across  the  Continent 


assistance,  but  we  refused  to  do  anything  unless  they 
gave  us  either  dogs  or  horses  to  eat.  We  soon  had 
nearly  fifty  patients.  A chief  brought  his  wife  with  an 
abscess  on  her  back,  and  promised  to  furnish  us  with  a 
horse  to-morrow  if  we  would  relieve  her.  Captain  Clark, 
therefore,  opened  the  abscess,  introduced  a tent,  and 
dressed  it  with  basilicon.  We  also  prepared  and  dis- 
tributed some  doses  of  flour  of  sulphur  and  cream  of 
tartar,  with  directions  for  its  use.  For  these  we  ob- 
tained several  dogs,  but  too  poor  for  use,  and  therefore 
postponed  our  medical  operations  till  the  morning.  In 
the  mean  time  a number  of  Indians,  besides  the  residents 
of  the  village,  gathered  about  us  or  camped  in  the  woody 
bottom  of  the  creek.” 

It  will  be  recollected  that  when  the  expedition  was  in 
this  region  (on  the  Kooskooskee),  during  the  previous 
September,  on  their  way  westward,  they  left  their  horses 
with  Chief  Twisted-hair,  travelling  overland  from  that 
point.  They  were  now  looking  for  that  chief,  and  the 
journal  says : — 

“About  two  o’clock  we  collected  our  horses  and  set 
out,  accompanied  by  Weahkoonut,  with  ten  or  twelve 
men  and  a man  who  said  he  was  the  brother  of  Twisted- 
hair.  At  four  miles  we  came  to  a single  house  of  three 
families,  but  could  not  procure  provisions  of  any  kind; 
and  five  miles  further  we  halted  for  the  night  near  another 
house,  built  like  the  rest,  of  sticks,  mats,  and  dried  hay, 
and  containing  six  families.  It  was  now  so  difficult  to 
procure  anything  to  eat  that  our  chief  dependence  was  on 
the  horse  which  we  received  yesterday  for  medicine;  but 
to  our  great  disappointment  he  broke  the  rope  by  which 
he  was  confined,  made  his  escape,  and  left  us  supperless 
in  the  rain.” 


Overland  east  of  the  Columbia 


281 


Next  day  they  met  an  Indian  who  brought  them  two 
canisters  of  powder,  which  they  at  once  knew  to  be  some 
of  that  which  they  had  buried  last  autumn.  The  Indian 
said  that  his  dog  had  dug  it  up  in  the  meadow  by  the 
river,  and  he  had  restored  it  to  its  rightful  owners.  As 
a reward  for  his  honesty,  the  captains  gave  him  a flint 
and  steel  for  striking  fire;  and  they  regretted  that  their 
own  poverty  prevented  them  from  being  more  liberal  to 
the  man. 

They  observed  that  the  Rocky  Mountains,  now  in  full 
sight,  were  still  covered  with  snow,  and  the  prospect  of 
crossing  them  was  not  very  rosy.  Their  Chopunnish 
guide  told  them  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  cross 
the  mountains  before  the  next  full  moon,  which  would  be 
about  the  first  of  June.  The  journal  adds:  “To  us,  who 
are  desirous  of  reaching  the  plains  of  the  Missouri  — if 
for  no  other  reason,  for  the  purpose  of  enjoying  a good 
meal  — this  intelligence  was  by  no  means  welcome,  and 
gave  no  relish  to  the  remainder  of  the  horse  killed  at 
Colter’s  Creek,  which  formed  our  supper,  as  part  of  which 
had  already  been  our  dinner.”  Next  day,  accordingly, 
the  hunters  turned  out  early  in  the  morning,  and  before 
noon  returned  with  four  deer  and  a duck,  which,  with  the 
remains  of  horse-beef  on  hand,  gave  them  a much  more 
plentiful  stock  of  provisions  than  had  lately  fallen  to 
their  lot.  During  the  previous  winter,  they  were  told, 
the  Indians  suffered  very  much  for  lack  of  food,  game  of 
all  sorts  being  scarce.  They  were  forced  to  boil  and  eat 
the  moss  growing  on  the  trees,  and  they  cut  down  the 
pine-trees  for  the  sake  of  the  small  nut  to  be  found  in 
the  pine-cones.  Here  they  were  met  by  an  old  friend, 
Neeshnepahkeeook  and  the  Shoshonee,  who  had  acted  as 
interpreter  for  them.  The  journal  says:  — 


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First  Across  the  Continent 


“We  gave  Neeshnepahkeeook  and  his  people  some  of 
our  game  and  horse-beef,  besides  the  entrails  of  the  deer, 
and  four  fawns  which  we  found  inside  of  two  of  them. 
They  did  not  eat  any  of  them  perfectly  raw,  but  the 
entrails  had  very  little  cooking;  the  fawns  were  boiled 
whole,  and  the  hide,  hair,  and  entrails  all  consumed. 
The  Shoshonee  was  offended  at  not  having  as  much 
venison  as  he  wished,  and  refused  to  interpret;  but  as 
we  took  no  notice  of  him,  he  became  very  officious  in  the 
course  of  a few  hours,  and  made  many  efforts  to  reinstate 
himself  in  our  favor.  The  brother  of  Twisted-hair,  and 
Neeshnepahkeeook,  now  drew  a sketch,  which  we  pre- 
served, of  all  the  waters  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.” 
They  now  met  Twisted-hair,  in  whose  care  they  had 
left  their  horses  and  saddles  the  previous  fall,  and  this 
was  the  result  of  their  inquiries : — 

“Between  three  and  four  o’clock  in  the  afternoon  we 
set  out,  in  company  with  Neeshnepahkeeook  and  other 
Indians,  the  brother  of  Twisted-hair  having  left  us.  Our 
route  was  up  a high  steep  hill  to  a level  plain  with  little 
wood,  through  which  we  passed  in  a direction  parallel  to 
the  [Kooskooskee]  River  for  four  miles,  when  we  met 
Twisted-hair  and  six  of  his  people.  To  this  chief  we 
had  confided  our  horses  and  a part  of  our  saddles  last 
autumn,  and  we  therefore  formed  very  unfavorable  con- 
jectures on  finding  that  he  received  us  with  great  cold- 
ness. Shortly  afterward  he  began  to  speak  in  a very 
loud,  angry  manner,  and  was  answered  by  Neeshnepah- 
keeook. We  now  discovered  that  a violent  quarrel  had 
arisen  between  these  chiefs,  on  the  subject,  as  we  after- 
ward understood,  of  our  horses.  But  as  we  could  not 
learn  the  cause,  and  were  desirous  of  terminating  the 
dispute,  we  interposed,  and  told  them  we  should  go  on 


Overland  east  of  the  Columbia  283 


to  the  first  water  and  camp.  We  therefore  set  out, 
followed  by  all  the  Indians,  and  having  reached,  at  two 
miles’  distance,  a small  stream  running  to  the  right,  we 
camped  with  the  two  chiefs  and  their  little  bands,  form- 
ing separate  camps  at  a distance  from  each  other.  They 
all  appeared  to  be  in  an  ill  humor;  and  as  we  had  al- 
ready heard  reports  that  the  Indians  had  discovered  and 
carried  off  our  saddles,  and  that  the  horses  were  very 
much  scattered,  we  began  to  be  uneasy,  lest  there  should 
be  too  much  foundation  for  the  report.  We  were  there- 
fore anxious  to  reconcile  the  two  chiefs  as  soon  as  pos- 
sible, and  desired  the  Shoshonee  to  interpret  for  us 
while  we  attempted  a mediation,  but  he  peremptorily 
refused  to  speak  a word.  He  observed  that  it  was  a 
quarrel  between  the  two  chiefs,  and  he  had  therefore  no 
right  to  interfere;  nor  could  all  our  representations,  that 
by  merely  repeating  what  we  said  he  could  not  possibly 
be  considered  as  meddling  between  the  chiefs,  induce 
him  to  take  any  part  in  it. 

“ Soon  afterward  Drewyer  returned  from  hunting,  and 
was  sent  to  invite  Twisted-hair  to  come  and  smoke  with 
us.  He  accepted  the  invitation,  and  as  we  were  smoking 
the  pipe  over  our  fire  he  informed  us  that  according  to 
his  promise  on  leaving  us  at  the  falls  of  the  Columbia, 
he  had  collected  our  horses  and  taken  charge  of  them  as 
soon  as  he  reached  home.  But  about  this  time  Neeshne- 
pahkeeook  and  Tunnachemootoolt  (Broken-arm)  who,  as 
we  passed,  were  on  a war-party  against  the  Shoshonees 
on  the  south  branch  of  Lewis’  River,  returned;  and 
becoming  jealous  of  him,  because  the  horses  had  been 
confided  to  his  care,  were  constantly  quarrelling  with 
him.  At  length,  being  an  old  man  and  unwilling  to  live 
in  perpetual  dispute  with  these  two  chiefs,  he  had  given 


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First  Across  the  Continent 


up  the  care  of  the  horses,  which  had  consequently  become 
very  much  scattered.  The  greater  part  of  them  were, 
however,  still  in  the  neighborhood;  some  in  the  forks 
between  the  Chopunnish  and  Kooskooskee,  and  three  or 
four  at  the  village  of  Broken  Arm,  about  half  a day’s 
march  higher  up  the  river.  He  added,  that  on  the  rise 
of  the  river  in  the  spring,  the  earth  had  fallen  from  the 
door  of  the  cache , and  exposed  the  saddles,  some  of  which 
had  probably  been  lost;  but  that,  as  soon  as  he  was 
acquainted  with  the  situation  of  them,  he  had  them 
buried  in  another  deposit,  where  they  now  were.  He 
promised  that,  if  we  would  stay  the  next  day  at  his 
house,  a few  miles  distant,  he  would  collect  such  of  the 
horses  as  were  in  the  neighborhood,  and  send  his  young 
men  for  those  in  the  forks,  over  the  Kooskooskee.  He 
moreover  advised  us  to  visit  Broken  Arm,  who  was  a 
chief  of  great  eminence,  and  he  would  himself  guide  us 
to  his  dwelling. 

“We  told  him  that  we  would  follow  his  advice  in  every 
respect;  that  we  had  confided  our  horses  to  his  care, 
and  expected  he  would  deliver  them  to  us,  on  which  we 
should  cheerfully  give  him  the  two  guns  and  the  ammu- 
nition we  had  promised  him.  With  this  he  seemed  very 
much  pleased,  and  declared  he  would  use  every  exertion 
to  restore  the  horses.  We  now  sent  for  Neeshnepah- 
keeook,  or  Cut  Nose,  and,  after  smoking  for  some  time, 
began  by  expressing  to  the  two  chiefs  our  regret  at  seeing 
a misunderstanding  between  them.  Neeshnepahkeeook 
replied  that  Twisted  Hair  was  a bad  old  man,  and  wore 
two  faces;  for,  instead  of  taking  care  of  our  horses,  he 
had  suffered  his  young  men  to  hunt  with  them,  so  that 
they  had  been  very  much  injured,  and  it  was  for  this 
reason  that  Broken  Arm  and  himself  had  forbidden  him  to 


Overland  east  of  the  Columbia  285 


use  them.  Twisted  Hair  made  no  reply  to  this  speech, 
and  we  then  told  Neeshnepahkeeook  of  our  arrangement 
for  the  next  day.  He  appeared  to  be  very  well  satisfied, 
and  said  he  would  himself  go  with  us  to  Broken  Arm, 
who  expected  to  see  us,  and  had  two  bad  horses  for  us ; 
by  which  expression  we  understood  that  Broken  Arm 
intended  to  make  us  a present  of  two  horses.” 

Next  day,  the  party  reached  the  house  of  Twisted-hair, 
and  began  to  look  for  their  horses  and  saddles.  The 
journal  gives  this  account  of  the  search : — 

“ Late  in  the  afternoon,  Twisted-hair  returned  with 
about  half  the  saddles  we  had  left  in  the  autumn,  and 
some  powder  and  lead  which  were  buried  at  the  same  place. 
Soon  after,  the  Indians  brought  us  twenty-one  of  our 
horses,  the  greater  part  of  which  were  in  excellent  order, 
though  some  had  not  yet  recovered  from  hard  usage,  and 
three  had  sore  backs.  We  were,  however,  very  glad  to 
procure  them  in  any  condition.  Several  Indians  came 
down  from  the  village  of  Tunnachemootoolt  and  passed 
the  night  with  us.  Cut-nose  and  Twisted-hair  seem  now 
perfectly  reconciled,  for  they  both  slept  in  the  house  of 
the  latter.  The  man  who  had  imposed  himself  upon  us 
as  a brother  of  Twisted-hair  also  came  and  renewed  his 
advances,  but  we  now  found  that  he  was  an  impertinent, 
proud  fellow,  of  no  respectability  in  the  nation,  and  we 
therefore  felt  no  inclination  to  cultivate  his  intimacy. 
Our  camp  was  in  an  open  plain,  and  soon  became  very 
uncomfortable,  for  the  wind  was  high  and  cold,  and  the 
rain  and  hail,  which  began  about  seven  o’clock,  changed 
in  two  hours  to  a heavy  fall  of  snow,  which  continued  till 
after  six  o’clock  [May  10th],  the  next  morning,  when  it 
ceased,  after  covering  the  ground  eight  inches  deep  and 
leaving  the  air  keen  and  cold.  We  soon  collected  our 


286 


First  Across  the  Continent 


horses,  and  after  a scanty  breakfast  of  roots  set  out  on  a 
course  S.  350  E. ” 

They  were  now  following  the  general  course  of  the 
Kooskooskee,  or  Clearwater,  as  the  stream  is  called,  and 
their  route  lay  in  what  is  now  Nez  Perce  County,  Idaho. 
They  have  passed  the  site  of  the  present  city  of  Lewis- 
ton, named  for  Captain  Lewis.  They  have  arrived  in  a 
region  inhabited  by  the  friendly  Chopunnish,  or  Nez 
Perce,  several  villages  of  which  nation  were  scattered 
around  the  camp  of  the  white  men.  The  narrative  says : 

“We  soon  collected  the  men  of  consideration,  and  after 
smoking,  explained  how  destitute  we  were  of  provisions. 
The  chief  spoke  to  the  people,  who  immediately  brought 
two  bushels  of  dried  quamash-roots,  some  cakes  of  the 
roots  of  cows,  and  a dried  salmon-trout;  we  thanked 
them  for  this  supply,  but  observed  that,  not  being  accus- 
tomed to  live  on  roots  alone,  we  feared  that  such  diet 
might  make  our  men  sick,  and  therefore  proposed  to 
exchange  one  of  our  good  horses,  which  was  rather  poor, 
for  one  that  was  fatter,  and  which  we  might  kill.  The 
hospitality  of  the  chief  was  offended  at  the  idea  of  an 
exchange;  he  observed  that  his  people  had  an  abundance 
of  young  horses,  and  that  if  we  were  disposed  to  use  that 
food  we  might  have  as  many  as  we  wanted.  Accord- 
ingly, they  soon  gave  us  two  fat  young  horses,  without 
asking  anything  in  return,  an  act  of  liberal  hospitality 
much  greater  than  any  we  have  witnessed  since  crossing 
the  Rocky  Mountains,  if  it  be  not  in  fact  the  only  really 
hospitable  treatment  we  have  received  in  this  part  of 
the  world.  We  killed  one  of  the  horses,  and  then  telling 
the  natives  that  we  were  fatigued  and  hungry,  and  that  as 
soon  as  we  were  refreshed  we  would  communicate  freely 
with  them,  began  to  prepare  our  repast. 


Overland  east  of  the  Columbia  287 


“ During  this  time  a principal  chief,  called  Hohastill- 
pilp,  came  from  his  village,  about  six  miles  distant,  with 
a party  of  fifty  men,  for  the  purpose  of  visiting  us.  We 
invited  him  into  our  circle,  and  he  alighted  and  smoked 
with  us,  while  his  retinue,  with  five  elegant  horses,  con- 
tinued mounted  at  a short  distance.  While  this  was 
going  on,  the  chief  had  a large  leathern  tent  spread  for 
us,  and  desired  that  we  would  make  it  our  home  so  long 
as  we  remained  at  his  village.  We  removed  there,  and 
having  made  a fire,  and  cooked  our  supper  of  horseflesh 
and  roots,  collected  all  the  distinguished  men  present, 
and  spent  the  evening  in  making  known  who  we  were, 
what  were  the  objects  of  our  journey,  and  in  answering 
their  inquiries.  To  each  of  the  chiefs  Tunnachemootoolt 
and  Hohastillpilp  we  gave  a small  medal,  explaining 
their  use  and  importance  as  honorary  distinctions  both 
among  the  whites  and  the  red  men.  Our  men  were  well 
pleased  at  once  more  having  made  a hearty  meal.  They 
had  generally  been  in  the  habit  of  crowding  into  the 
houses  of  the  Indians,  to  purchase  provisions  on  the  best 
terms  they  could ; for  the  inhospitality  of  the  country  was 
such,  that  often,  in  the  extreme  of  hunger,  they  were 
obliged  to  treat  the  natives  with  but  little  ceremony;  but 
this  Twisted  Hair  had  told  us  was  very  disagreeable. 
Finding  that  these  people  are  so  kind  and  liberal,  we 
ordered  our  men  to  treat  them  with  the  greatest  respect, 
and  not  to  throng  round  their  fires,  so  that  they  now 
agree  perfectly  well  together.  After  the  council  the 
Indians  felt  no  disposition  to  retire,  and  our  tent  was 
filled  with  them  all  night.” 

As  the  expedition  was  here  in  a populous  country, 
among  many  bands  of  Indians,  it  was  thought  wise  to 
have  a powwow  with  the  head  men  and  explain  to  them 


288 


First  Across  the  Continent 


what  were  the  intentions  of  the  United  States  Govern- 
ment. But,  owing  to  the  crooked  course  which  their 
talk  must  needs  take,  it  was  very  difficult  to  learn  if  the 
Indians  finally  understood  what  was  said.  Here  is  the 
journal’s  account  of  the  way  in  which  the  powwow  was 
conducted : — 

“We  collected  the  chiefs  and  warriors,  and  having 
drawn  a map  of  the  relative  situation  of  our  country  on  a 
mat  with  a piece  of  coal,  detailed  the  nature  and  power 
of  the  American  nation,  its  desire  to  preserve  harmony 
between  all  its  red  brethren,  and  its  intention  of  estab- 
lishing trading-houses  for  their  relief  and  support.  It 
was  not  without  difficulty,  nor  till  after  nearly  half  the 
day  was  spent,  that  we  were  able  to  convey  all  this  infor- 
mation to  the  Chopunnish,  much  of  which  might  have 
been  lost  or  distorted  in  its  circuitous  route  through  a 
variety  of  languages ; for  in  the  first  place,  we  spoke  in 
English  to  one  of  our  men,  who  translated  it  into  French 
to  Chaboneau;  he  interpreted  it  to  his  wife  in  the  Minne- 
taree  language;  she  then  put  it  into  Shoshonee,  and  the 
young  Shoshonee  prisoner  explained  it  to  the  Chopunnish 
in  their  own  dialect.  At  last  we  succeeded  in  communi- 
cating the  impression  we  wished,  and  then  adjourned  the 
council;  after  which  we  amused  them  by  showing  the 
wonders  of  the  compass,  spy-glass,  magnet,  watch,  and 
air-gun,  each  of  which  attracted  its  share  of  admiration.” 

The  simple-minded  Indians,  who  seemed  to  think  that 
the  white  men  could  heal  all  manner  of  diseases,  crowded 
around  them  next  day,  begging  for  medicines  and  treat- 
ment. These  were  freely  given,  eye-water  being  most  in 
demand.  There  was  a general  medical  powwow.  The 
journal  adds: — 

“ Shortly  after,  the  chiefs  and  warriors  held  a council 


Overland  east  of  the  Columbia  289 


among  themselves,  to  decide  on  an  answer  to  our  speech, 
and  the  result  was,  as  we  were  informed,  that  they  had 
full  confidence  in  what  we  had  told  them,  and  were 
resolved  to  follow  our  advice.  This  determination  hav- 
ing been  made,  the  principal  chief,  Tunnachemootoolt, 
took  a quantity  of  flour  of  the  roots  of  cow-weed  [cowas], 
and  going  round  to  all  the  kettles  and  baskets  in  which 
his  people  were  cooking,  thickened  the  soup  into  a kind 
of  mush.  He  then  began  an  harangue,  setting  forth  the 
result  of  the  deliberations  among  the  chiefs,  and  after 
exhorting  them  to  unanimity,  concluded  with  an  invita- 
tion to  all  who  acquiesced  in  the  proceedings  of  the  coun- 
cil to  come  and  eat;  while  those  who  were  of  a different 
mind  were  requested  to  show  their  dissent  by  not  partak- 
ing of  the  feast.  During  this  animated  harangue,  the 
women,  who  were  probably  uneasy  at  the  prospect  of 
forming  this  proposed  new  connection  with  strangers, 
tore  their  hair,  and  wrung  their  hands  with  the  greatest 
appearance  of  distress.  But  the  concluding  appeal  of 
the  orator  effectually  stopped  the  mouths  of  every  male- 
content,  and  the  proceedings  were  ratified,  and  the  mush 
devoured  with  the  most  zealous  unanimity. 

‘‘The  chiefs  and  warriors  then  came  in  a body  to  visit 
us  as  we  were  seated  near  our  tent;  and  at  their  instance, 
two  young  men,  one  of  whom  was  a son  of  Tunnache- 
mootoolt, and  the  other  the  youth  whose  father  had  been 
killed  by  the  Pahkees,  presented  to  us  each  a fine  horse. 
We  invited  the  chiefs  to  be  seated,  and  gave  every  one 
of  them  a flag,  a pound  of  powder,  and  fifty  balls,  and  a 
present  of  the  same  kind  to  the  young  men  from  whom 
we  had  received  the  horses.  They  then  invited  us  into 
the  tent,  and  said  that  they  now  wished  to  answer  what 
we  had  told  them  yesterday,  but  that  many  of  their  people 

19 


290 


First  Across  the  Continent 


were  at  that  moment  waiting  in  great  pain  for  our  medical 
assistance.” 

It  was  agreed,  therefore,  that  Captain  Clark,  who  seems 
to  have  been  their  favorite  physician,  should  attend  to 
the  sick  and  lame,  while  Captain  Lewis  should  conduct 
a council  with  the  chiefs  and  listen  to  what  they  had  to 
say.  The  upshot  of  the  powwow  was  that  the  Chopun- 
nish  said  they  had  sent  three  of  their  warriors  with  a 
pipe  to  make  peace  with  the  Shoshonees,  last  summer,  as 
they  had  been  advised  to  do  by  the  white  men.  The 
Shoshonees,  unmindful  of  the  sacredness  of  this  embassy, 
had  killed  the  young  warriors  and  had  invited  the  battle 
which  immediately  took  place,  in  which  the  Chopunnish 
killed  forty-two  of  the  Shoshonees,  to  get  even  for  the 
wanton  killing  of  their  three  young  men.  The  white 
men  now  wanted  some  of  the  Chopunnish  to  accompany 
them  to  the  plains  of  .the  Missouri,  but  the  Indians  were 
not  willing  to  go  until  they  were  assured  that  they  would 
not  be  waylaid  and  slain  by  their  enemies  of  the  other 
side  of  the  mountains.  The  Chopunnish  would  think 
over  the  proposal  that  some  of  their  young  men  should 
go  over  the  range  with  the  white  men;  a decision  on  this 
point  should  be  reached  before  the  white  men  left  the 
country.  Anyhow,  the  white  men  might  be  sure  that 
the  Indians  would  do  their  best  to  oblige  their  visitors. 
Their  conclusion  was,  “For,  although  we  are  poor,  our 
hearts  are  good.”  The  story  of  this  conference  thus 
concludes : — 

“As  soon  as  this  speech  was  concluded,  Captain  Lewis 
replied  at  some  length;  with  this  they  appeared  highly 
gratified,  and  after  smoking  the  pipe,  made  us  a present 
of  another  fat  horse  for  food.  We,  in  turn,  gave  Broken- 
arm  a phial  of  eye-water,  with  directions  to  wash  the  eyes 


Lewis  in  Indian  Dress 


Overland  east  of  the  Columbia 


291 


of  all  who  should  apply  for  it;  and  as  we  promised  to  fill 
it  again  when  it  was  exhausted,  he  seemed  very  much 
pleased  with  our  liberality.  To  Twisted-hair,  who  had 
last  night  collected  six  more  horses,  we  gave  a gun,  one 
hundred  balls,  and  two  pounds  of  powder,  and  told  him  he 
should  have  the  same  quantity  when  we  received  the  re- 
mainder of  our  horses.  In  the  course  of  the  day  three 
more  of  them  were  brought  in,  and  a fresh  exchange  of 
small  presents  put  the  Indians  in  excellent  humor.  On 
our  expressing  a wish  to  cross  the  river  and  form  a camp, 
in  order  to  hunt  and  fish  till  the  snows  had  melted,  they 
recommended  a position  a few  miles  distant,  and  prom- 
ised to  furnish  us  to-morrow  with  a canoe  to  cross.  We 
invited  Twisted-hair  to  settle  near  our  camp,  for  he  has 
several  young  sons,  one  of  whom  we  hope  to  engage  as 
a guide,  and  he  promised  to  do  so.  Having  now  settled 
all  their  affairs,  the  Indians  divided  themselves  into  two 
parties,  and  began  to  play  the  game  of  hiding  a bone, 
already  described  as  common  to  all  the  natives  of  this 
country,  which  they  continued  playing  for  beads  and 
other  ornaments.” 

As  there  was  so  dismal  a prospect  for  crossing  the 
snow-covered  mountains  at  this  season  of  the  year,  the 
captains  of  the  expedition  resolved  to  establish  a camp 
and  remain  until  the  season  should  be  further  advanced. 
Accordingly,  a spot  on  the  north  side  of  the  river,  recom- 
mended to  them  by  the  Indians,  was  selected,  and  a move 
across  the  stream  was  made.  A single  canoe  was  bor- 
rowed for  the  transit  of  the  baggage,  and  the  horses  were 
driven  in  to  swim  across,  and  the  passage  was  accom- 
plished without  loss.  The  camp  was  built  on  the  site  of 
an  old  Indian  house,  in  a circle  about  thirty  yards  in 
diameter,  near  the  river  and  in  an  advantageous  position. 


292 


First  Across  the  Continent 


As  soon  as  the  party  were  encamped,  the  two  Chopunnish 
chiefs  came  down  to  the  opposite  bank,  and,  with  twelve 
of  their  nation,  began  to  sing.  This  was  the  custom  of 
these  people,  being  a token  of  their  friendship  on  such 
occasions.  The  captains  sent  a canoe  over  for  the  chiefs, 
and,  after  smoking  for  some  time,  Hohastillpilp  presented 
Captain  with  a fine  gray  horse  which  he  had  brought  over 
for  that  purpose,  and  he  was  perfectly  satisfied  to  receive 
in  return  a handkerchief,  two  hundred  balls,  and  four 
pounds  of  powder. 

Here  is  some  curious  information  concerning  the  bears 
which  t-hey  found  in  this  region.  It  must  be  borne 
in  mind  that  they  were  still  west  of  the  Bitter  Root 
Mountains : — 

“The  hunters  killed  some  pheasants,  two  squirrels,  and 
a male  and  a female  bear,  the  first  of  which  was  large, 
fat,  and  of  a bay  color;  the  second  meagre,  grizzly,  and 
of  smaller  size.  They  were  of  the  species  [Ursus  horri- 
bilis\  common  to  the  upper  part  of  the  Missouri,  and 
might  well  be  termed  the  variegated  bear,  for  they  are 
found  occasionally  of  a black,  grizzly,  brown,  or  red 
color.  There  is  every  reason  to  believe  them  to  be  of 
precisely  the  same  species.  Those  of  different  colors 
are  killed  together,  as  in  the  case  of  these  two,  and  as 
we  found  the  white  and  bay  associated  together  on  the 
Missouri;  and  some  nearly  white  were  seen  in  this  neigh- 
borhood by  the  hunters.  Indeed,  it  is  not  common  to 
find  any  two  bears  of  the  same  color;  and  if  the  differ- 
ence in  color  were  to  constitute  a distinction  of  species, 
the  number  would  increase  to  almost  twenty.  Soon  after- 
ward the  hunters  killed  a female  bear  with  two  cubs. 
The  mother  was  black,  with  a considerable  intermixture 
of  white  hairs  and  a white  spot  on  the  breast.  One  of 


Overland  east  of  the  Columbia 


293 


the  cubs  was  jet  black,  and  the  other  of  a light  reddish- 
brown  or  bay  color.  The  hair  of  these  variegated  bears 
is  much  finer,  longer,  and  more  abundant  than  that  of  the 
common  black  bear;  but  the  most  striking  differences 
between  them  are  that  the  former  are  larger  and  have 
longer  tusks,  and  longer  as  well  as  blunter  talons;  that 
they  prey  more  on  other  animals;  that  they  lie  neither 
so  long  nor  so  closely  in  winter  quarters ; and  that  they 
never  climb  a tree,  however  closely  pressed  by  the 
hunters.  These  variegated  bears,  though  specifically  the 
same  with  those  we  met  on  the  Missouri,  are  by  no  means 
so  ferocious;  probably  because  the  scarcity  of  game  and 
the  habit  of  living  on  roots  may  have  weaned  them  from 
the  practices  of  attacking  and  devouring  animals.  Still, 
however,  they  are  not  so  passive  as  the  common  black 
bear,  which  is  also  to  be  found  here;  for  they  have 
already  fought  with  our  hunters,  though  with  less  fury 
than  those  on  the  other  side  of  the  mountains. 

“ A large  part  of  the  meat  we  gave  to  the  Indians,  to 
whom  it  was  a real  luxury,  as  they  scarcely  taste  flesh 
once  in  a month.  They  immediately  prepared  a large 
fire  of  dried  wood,  on  which  was  thrown  a number  of 
smooth  stones  from  the  river.  As  soon  as  the  fire  went 
down  and  the  stones  were  heated,  they  were  laid  next  to 
each  other  in  a level  position,  and  covered  with  a quan- 
tity of  pine  branches,  on  which  were  placed  flitches  of 
the  meat,  and  then  boughs  and  flesh  alternately  for 
several  courses,  leaving  a thick  layer  of  pine  on  the  top. 
On  this  heap  they  then  poured  a small  quantity  of  water, 
and  covered  the  whole  with  earth  to  the  depth  of  four 
inches.  After  remaining  in  this  state  for  about  three 
hours,  the  meat  was  taken  off,  and  was  really  more  tender 
than  that  which  we  had  boiled  or  roasted,  though  the 


294 


First  Across  the  Continent 


strong  flavor  of  the  pine  rendered  it  disagreeable  to  our 
palates.  This  repast  gave  them  much  satisfaction;  for, 
though  they  sometimes  kill  the  black  bear,  they  attack 
very  reluctantly  the  fierce  variegated  bear;  and  never 
except  when  they  can  pursue  him  on  horseback  over  the 
plains,  and  shoot  him  with  arrows.” 


Chapter  XXII 

Camping  with  the  Nez  Perc'es 

SOON  after  they  had  fixed  their  camp,  the  explorers 
bade  farewell  to  their  good  friend  Tunnachemoo- 
toolt  and  his  young  men,  who  returned  to  their  homes 
farther  down  the  river.  Others  of  the  Nez  Perce,  or  Cho- 
punnish,  nation  visited  them,  and  the  strangers  were  inter- 
ested in  watching  the  Indians  preparing  for  their  hunt. 
As  they  were  to  hunt  the  deer,  they  had  the  head,  horns, 
and  hide  of  that  animal  so  prepared  that  when  it  was 
placed  on  the  head  and  body  of  a hunter,  it  gave  a very 
deceptive  idea  of  a deer;  the  hunter  could  move  the  head 
of  the  decoy  so  that  it  looked  like  a deer  feeding,  and  the 
suspicious  animals  were  lured  within  range  of  the  Indians’ 
bow  and  arrow. 

On  the  sixteenth  of  May,  Hohastillpilp  and  his  young 
men  also  left  the  white  men’s  camp  and  returned  to  their 
own  village.  The  hunters  of  the  party  did  not  meet  with 
much  luck  in  their  quest  for  game,  only  one  deer  and  a few 
pheasants  being  brought  in  for  several  days.  The  party 
were  fed  on  roots  and  herbs,  a species  of  onion  being 
much  prized  by  them.  Bad  weather  confined  them  to 
their  camp,  and  a common  entry  in  their  journal  re- 
fers to  their  having  slept  all  night  in  a pool  of  water 
formed  by  the  falling  rain ; their  tent-cover  was  a worn- 
out  leathern  affair  no  longer  capable  of  shedding  the  rain. 
While  it  rained  in  the  meadows  where  they  were  camped, 


296 


First  Across  the  Continent 


they  could  see  the  snow  covering  the  higher  plains  above 
them ; on  those  plains  the  snow  was  more  than  a foot 
deep,  and  yet  the  plants  and  shrubs  seemed  to  thrive  in 
the  midst  of  the  snow.  On  the  mountains  the  snow  was 
several  feet  in  depth.  The  journalist  says : “ So  that 
within  twenty  miles  of  our  camp  we  observe  the  rigors  of 
winter  cold,  the  cool  air  of  spring,  and  the  oppressive  heat 
of  midsummer.”  They  kept  a shrewd  lookout  for  the  pos- 
sibilities of  future  occupation  of  the  land  by  white  men ; 
and,  writing  here  of  country  and  its  character,  the  journal- 
ist says:  “In  short,  this  district  affords  many  advantages 
to  settlers,  and  if  properly  cultivated,  would  yield  every 
object  necessary  for  the  comfort  and  subsistence  of  civilized 
man.”  But  in  their  wildest  dreams,  Captains  Lewis  and 
Clark  could  not  have  foreseen  that  in  that  identical  region 
thrifty  settlements  of  white  men  should  flourish  and  that 
the  time  would  come  when  the  scanty  remnant  of  the 
Chopunnish,  whom  we  now  call  Nez  Perces,  would  be 
gathered  on  a reservation  near  their  camping-place.  But 
both  of  these  things  have  come  to  pass. 

In  describing  the  dress  of  the  Chopunnish,  or  Nez 
Perces,  the  journal  says  that  tippets,  or  collars,  were  worn 
by  the  men.  “ That  of  Hohastillpilp,”  says  the  journal, 
“ was  formed  of  human  scalps  and  adorned  with  the 
thumbs  and  fingers  of  several  men  slain  by  him  in  battle.” 
And  yet  the  journal  immediately  adds:  “The  Chopun- 
nish are  among  the  most  amiable  men  we  have  seen. 
Their  character  is  placid  and  gentle,  rarely  moved  to  pas- 
sion, yet  not  often  enlivened  by  gayety.”  In  short,  the 
Indians  were  amiable  savages ; and  it  is  a savage  trait  to 
love  to  destroy  one’s  enemies. 

Here  is  an  entry  in  the  journal  of  May  19  which  will 
give  the  reader  some  notion  of  the  privations  and  the  pur- 


Camping  with  the  Nez  Perces  297 


suits  of  the  party  while  shut  up  in  camp  for  weary  weeks 
in  the  early  summer  of  1806:  — 

“ After  a cold,  rainy  night,  during  a greater  part  of 
which  we  lay  in  the  water,  the  weather  became  fair;  we 
then  sent  some  men  to  a village  above  us,  on  the  opposite 
side,  to  purchase  some  roots.  They  carried  with  them  for 
this  purpose  a small  collection  of  awls,  knitting-pins,  and 
armbands,  with  which  they  obtained  several  bushels  of  the 
root  of  cows,  and  some  bread  of  the  same  material.  They 
were  followed,  too,  by  a train  of  invalids  from  the  village, 
who  came  to  ask  for  our  assistance.  The  men  were  gener- 
ally afflicted  with  sore  eyes ; but  the  women  had  besides 
this  a variety  of  other  disorders,  chiefly  rheumatic,  a vio- 
lent pain  and  weakness  in  the  loins,  which  is  a common 
complaint  among  them ; one  of  them  seemed  much  de- 
jected, and  as  we  thought,  from  the  account  of  her  dis- 
ease, hysterical.  We  gave  her  thirty  drops  of  laudanum, 
and  after  administering  eye-water,  rubbing  the  rheumatic 
patients  with  volatile  liniment,  and  giving  cathartics  to 
others,  they  all  thought  themselves  much  relieved  and 
returned  highly  satisfied  to  the  village.  We  were  fortu- 
nate enough  to  retake  one  of  the  horses  on  which  we 
[Captain  Lewis]  had  crossed  the  Rocky  Mountains  in  the 
autumn,  and  which  had  become  almost  wild  since  that 
time.” 

A day  or  two  later,  the  journal  has  this  significant 
entry : “ On  parcelling  out  the  stores,  the  stock  of  each 
man  was  found  to  be  only  one  awl,  and  one  knitting-pin, 
half  an  ounce  of  vermilion,  two  needles,  a few  skeins  of 
thread,  and  about  a yard  of  ribbon  — a slender  means  of 
bartering  for  our  subsistence ; but  the  men  have  been  so 
much  accustomed  to  privations  that  now  neither  the  want 
of  meat  nor  the  scanty  funds  of  the  party  excites  the  least 


298  First  Across  the  Continent 


anxiety  among  them.”  To  add  to  their  discomfort,  there 
was  a great  deal  of  sickness  in  the  camp,  owing  to  the  low 
diet  of  the  men.  Sacajawea’s  baby  was  ill  with  mumps 
and  teething,  and  it  is  suggested  that  the  two  captains 
would  have  been  obliged  to  “ walk  the  floor  all  night,”  if 
there  had  been  any  floor  to  walk  on ; as  it  was,  they  were 
deprived  of  their  nightly  rest.  Here  is  an  example  of  what 
the  doctors  would  call  heroic  treatment  by  Captain  Clark, 
who  conducted  all  such  experiments : — 

“ With  one  of  the  men  [Bratton]  we  have  ventured  an 
experiment  of  a very  robust  nature.  He  has  been  for 
some  time  sick,  but  has  now  recovered  his  flesh,  eats 
heartily,  and  digests  well,  but  has  so  great  a weakness  in 
the  loins  that  he  cannot  walk  or  even  sit  upright  without 
extreme  pain.  After  we  had  in  vain  exhausted  the  re- 
sources of  our  art,  one  of  the  hunters  mentioned  that  he 
had  known  persons  in  similar  situations  to  be  restored  by 
violent  sweats,  and  at  the  request  of  the  patient,  we  per- 
mitted the  remedy  to  be  applied.  For  this  purpose  a 
hole  about  four  feet  deep  and  three  in  diameter  was  dug  in 
the  earth,  and  heated  well  by  a large  fire  in  the  bottom  of 
it.  The  fire  was  then  taken  out,  and  an  arch  formed  over 
the  hole  by  means  of  willow-poles,  and  covered  with 
several  blankets  so  as  to  make  a perfect  awning.  The 
patient  being  stripped  naked,  was  seated  under  this  on  a 
bench,  with  a piece  of  board  for  his  feet,  and  with  a jug 
of  water  sprinkled  the  bottom  and  sides  of  the  hole,  so  as 
to  keep  up  as  hot  a steam  as  he  could  bear.  After  re- 
maining twenty  minutes  in  this  situation,  he  was  taken  out, 
immediately  plunged  twice  in  cold  water,  and  brought  back 
to  the  hole,  where  he  resumed  the  vapor  bath.  During  all 
this  time  he  drank  copiously  a strong  infusion  of  horse- 
mint,  which  was  used  as  a substitute  for  seneca-root,  which 


Camping  with  the  Nez  Perces 


299 


our  informant  said  he  had  seen  employed  on  these  occa- 
sions, but  of  which  there  is  none  in  this  country.  At  the 
end  of  three-quarters  of  an  hour  he  was  again  withdrawn 
from  the  hole,  carefully  wrapped,  and  suffered  to  cool 
gradually.  This  operation  was  performed  yesterday;  this 
morning  he  walked  about  and  is  nearly  free  from  pain. 
About  eleven  o’clock  a canoe  arrived  with  three  Indians, 
one  of  whom  was  the  poor  creature  who  had  lost  the  use 
of  his  limbs,  and  for  whose  recovery  the  natives  seem  very 
anxious,  as  he  is  a chief  of  considerable  rank  among  them. 
His  situation  is  beyond  the  reach  of  our  skill.  He  com- 
plains of  no  pain  in  any  peculiar  limb,  and  we  therefore 
think  his  disorder  cannot  be  rheumatic,  and  his  limbs  would 
have  been  more  diminished  if  his  disease  had  been  a para- 
lytic affection.  We  had  already  ascribed  it  to  his  diet  of 
roots,  and  had  recommended  his  living  on  fish  and  flesh, 
and  using  the  cold  bath  every  morning,  with  a dose  of 
cream  of  tartar  or  flowers  of  sulphur  every  third  day.” 

It  is  gratifying  to  be  able  to  record  the  fact  that  Bratton 
and  the  Indian  (who  was  treated  in  the  same  manner)  act- 
ually recovered  from  their  malady.  The  journal  says  of 
the  Indian  that  his  restoration  was  “ wonderful.”  This  is 
not  too  strong  a word  to  use  under  the  circumstances,  for 
the  chief  had  been  helpless  for  nearly  three  years,  and  yet 
he  was  able  to  get  about  and  take  care  of  himself  after  he 
had  been  treated  by  Captain  (otherwise  Doctor)  Clark. 
Two  of  his  men  met  with  a serious  disaster  about  this 
time ; going  across  the  river  to  trade  with  some  Indians, 
their  boat  was  stove  and  went  to  the  bottom,  carrying  with 
it  three  blankets,  a blanket-coat,  and  their  scanty  stock  of 
merchandise,  all  of  which  was  utterly  lost.  Another  dis- 
aster, which  happened  next  day,  is  thus  recorded : — 

“ Two  of  our  men,  who  had  been  up  the  river  to  trade 


3°° 


First  Across  the  Continent 


with  the  Indians,  returned  quite  unsuccessful.  Nearly 
opposite  the  village,  their  horse  fell  with  his  load  down 
a steep  cliff  into  the  river,  across  which  he  swam.  An 
Indian  on  the  opposite  side  drove  him  back  to  them ; but 
in  crossing  most  of  the  articles  were  lost  and  the  paint 
melted.  Understanding  their  intentions,  the  Indians  at- 
tempted to  come  over  to  them,  but  having  no  canoe,  were 
obliged  to  use  a raft,  which  struck  on  a rock,  upset,  and 
the  whole  store  of  roots  and  bread  were  destroyed.  This 
failure  completely  exhausted  our  stock  of  merchandise; 
but  the  remembrance  of  what  we  suffered  from  cold  and 
hunger  during  the  passage  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  makes 
us  anxious  to  increase  our  means  of  subsistence  and 
comfort,  since  we  have  again  to  encounter  the  same 
inconvenience.” 

But  the  ingenuity  of  the  explorers  was  equal  to  this 
emergency.  Having  observed  that  the  Indians  were  very 
fond  of  brass  buttons,  which  they  fastened  to  their  gar- 
ments as  ornaments,  and  not  for  the  useful  purpose  for 
which  buttons  are  made,  the  men  now  proceeded  to  cut 
from  their  shabby  United  States  uniforms  those  desired 
articles,  and  thus  formed  a new  fund  for  trading  purposes. 
To  these  they  added  some  eye-water,  some  basilicon,  and  a 
few  small  tin  boxes  in  which  phosphorus  had  been  kept. 
Basilicon,  of  which  mention  is  frequently  made  in  the 
journal,  was  an  ointment  composed  of  black  pitch,  white 
wax,  resin,  and  olive  oil;  it  was  esteemed  as  a sovereign 
remedy  for  all  diseases  requiring  an  outward  application. 
With  these  valuables  two  men  were  sent  out  to  trade  with 
the  Indians,  on  the  second  day  of  June,  and  they  returned 
with  three  bushels  of  eatable  roots  and  some  cowas  bread. 
Later  in  that  day,  a party  that  had  been  sent  down  the  river 
(Lewis’)  in  quest  of  food,  returned  with  a goodly  supply 


Buffaloks  at  Drinking-Place 


Camping  with  the  Nez  Perces 


3QI 


of  roots  and  seventeen  salmon.  These  fish,  although  partly 
spoiled  by  the  long  journey  home,  gave  great  satisfaction 
to  the  hungry  adventurers,  for  they  were  the  promise  of  a 
plenty  to  come  when  the  salmon  should  ascend  the  rivers 
that  make  into  the  Columbia.  At  this  time  we  find 
the  following  interesting  story  in  the  journal  of  the 
expedition : — 

“We  had  lately  heard,  also,  that  some  Indians,  residing 
at  a considerable  distance,  on  the  south  side  of  the  Koos- 
kooskee,  were  in  possession  of  two  tomahawks,  one  of 
which  had  been  left  at  our  camp  on  Moscheto  Creek,  and 
the  other  had  been  stolen  while  we  were  with  the  Chopun- 
nish  in  the  autumn.  This  last  we  were  anxious  to  obtain, 
in  order  to  give  it  to  the  relations  of  our  unfortunate 
companion,  Sergeant  Floyd,1  to  whom  it  once  belonged. 
We  therefore  sent  Drewyer,  with  the  two  chiefs  Neeshne- 
pahkeeook  and  Hohastillpilp  (who  had  returned  to  us)  to 
demand  it.  On  their  arrival,  they  found  that  the  present 
possessor  of  it,  who  had  purchased  it  of  the  thief,  was  at 
the  point  of  death;  and  his  relations  were  unwilling  to 
give  it  up,  as  they  wished  to  bury  it  in  the  grave  with  the 
deceased.  The  influence  of  Neeshnepahkeeook,  however, 
at  length  prevailed ; and  they  consented  to  surrender  the 
tomahawk  on  receiving  two  strands  of  beads  and  a hand- 
kerchief from  Drewyer,  and  from  each  of  the  chiefs  a 
horse,  to  be  killed  at  the  funeral  of  their  kinsman,  accord- 
ing to  the  custom  of  the  country.” 

The  Chopunnish  chiefs  now  gave  their  final  answer  to 
the  two  captains  who  had  requested  guides  from  them. 
The  chiefs  said  that  they  could  not  accompany  the  party, 
but  later  in  the  summer  they  might  cross  the  great  divide 
and  spend  the  next  winter  on  the  headwaters  of  the 

1 Died  near  Council  Bluffs,  on  the  Missouri,  September,  1804. 


3°2 


First  Across  the  Continent 


Missouri.  At  present,  they  could  only  promise  that  some 
of  their  young  men  should  go  with  the  whites ; these  had 
not  been  selected,  but  they  would  be  sent  on  after  the 
party,  if  the  two  captains  insisted  on  starting  now.  This 
was  not  very  encouraging,  for  they  had  depended  upon 
the  Indians  for  guidance  over  the  exceedingly  difficult  and 
even  dangerous  passages  of  the  mountains.  Accordingly, 
it  was  resolved  that,  while  waiting  on  the  motions  of  the 
Indians,  the  party  might  as  well  make  a visit  to  Quamash 
flats,  where  they  could  lay  in  a stock  of  provisions  for 
their  arduous  journey.  It  is  not  certain  which  of  the 
several  Quamash  flats  mentioned  in  the  history  of  the 
expedition  is  here  referred  to ; but  it  is  likely  that  the 
open  glade  in  which  Captain  Clark  first  struck  the  low 
country  of  the  west  is  here  meant.  It  was  here  that  he 
met  the  Indian  boys  hiding  in  the  grass,  and  from  here  he 
led  the  expedition  out  of  the  wilderness.  For  “ quamash” 
read  “ camass,”  an  edible  root  much  prized  by  the  Nez 
Perces  then  and  now. 

While  they  lingered  at  their  camp,  they  were  visited  by 
several  bands  of  friendly  Indians.  The  explorers  traded 
horses  with  their  visitors,  and,  with  what  they  already  had, 
they  now  found  their  band  to  number  sixty-five,  all  told. 
Having  finished  their  trading,  they  invited  the  Indians  to 
take  part  in  the  games  of  prisoners’  base  and  foot-racing ; 
in  the  latter  game  the  Indians  were  very  expert,  being  able 
to  distance  the  fleetest  runner  of  the  white  men’s  party. 
At  night,  the  games  were  concluded  by  a dance.  The 
account  of  the  expedition  says  that  the  captains  were 
desirous  of  encouraging  these  exercises  before  they  should 
begin  the  passage  over  the  mountains,  “ as  several  of  the 
men  are  becoming  lazy  from  inaction.” 

On  the  tenth  of  June  the  party  set  out  for  Quamash 


Camping  with  the  Nez  Perces 


3°3 


flats,  each  man  well  mounted  and  leading  a spare  horse 
which  carried  a small  load.  To  their  dismay,  they  found 
that  their  good  friends,  the  Chopunnish,  unwilling  to  part 
with  them,  were  bound  to  accompany  them  to  the  hunting- 
grounds.  The  Indians  would  naturally  expect  to  share  in 
the  hunt  and  to  be  provided  for  by  the  white  men.  The 
party  halted  there  only  until  the  sixth  of  June,  and  then, 
collecting  their  horses,  set  out  through  what  proved  to  be 
a very  difficult  trail  up  the  creek  on  which  they  were 
camped,  in  a northeasterly  direction.  There  was  still  a 
quantity  of  snow  on  the  ground,  although  this  was  in  shady 
places  and  hollows.  Vegetation  was  rank,  and  the  dog- 
tooth violet,  honeysuckle,  blue-bell,  and  columbine  were 
in  blossom.  The  pale  blue  flowers  of  the  quamash  gave  to 
the  level  country  the  appearance  of  a blue  lake.  Striking 
Hungry  Creek,  which  Captain  Clark  had  very  appropri- 
ately named  when  he  passed  that  way,  the  previous  Sep- 
tember, they  followed  it  up  to  a mountain  for  about  three 
miles,  when  they  found  themselves  enveloped  in  snow; 
their  limbs  were  benumbed,  and  the  snow,  from  twelve 
to  fifteen  feet  deep,  so  paralyzed  their  feet  that  further 
progress  was  impossible.  Here  the  journal  should  be 
quoted : — 

“We  halted  at  the  sight  of  this  new  difficulty.  We 
already  knew  that  to  wait  till  the  snows  of  the  mountains 
had  dissolved,  so  as  to  enable  us  to  distinguish  the  road, 
would  defeat  our  design  of  returning  to  the  United  States 
this  season.  We  now  found  also  that  as  the  snow  bore 
our  horses  very  well,  travelling  was  infinitely  easier  than  it 
was  last  fall,  when  the  rocks  and  fallen  timber  had  so 
much  obstructed  our  march.  But  it  would  require  five 
days  to  reach  the  fish-weirs  at  the  mouth  of  Colt  [-killed] 
Creek,  even  if  we  were  able  to  follow  the  proper  ridges  of 


3°4 


First  Across  the  Continent 


the  mountains ; and  the  danger  of  missing  our  direction  is 
exceedingly  great  while  every  track  is  covered  with  snow. 
During  these  five  days,  too,  we  have  no  chance  of  finding 
either  grass  or  underwood  for  our  horses,  the  snow  being 
so  deep.  To  proceed,  therefore,  under  such  circumstances, 
would  be  to  hazard  our  being  bewildered  in  the  mountains, 
and  to  insure  the  loss  of  our  horses ; even  should  we  be 
so  fortunate  as  to  escape  with  our  lives,  we  might  be 
obliged  to  abandon  all  our  papers  and  collections.  It  was 
therefore  decided  not  to  venture  any  further;  to  deposit 
here  all  the  baggage  and  provisions  for  which  we  had  no 
immediate  use;  and,  reserving  only  subsistence  for  a few 
days,  to  return  while  our  horses  were  yet  strong  to  some 
spot  where  we  might  live  by  hunting,  till  a guide  could  be 
procured  to  conduct  us  across  the  mountains.  Our  bag- 
gage was  placed  on  scaffolds  and  carefully  covered,  as 
were  also  the  instruments  and  papers,  which  we  thought  it 
safer  to  leave  than  to  risk  over  the  roads  and  creeks  by 
which  we  came.” 

There  was  nothing  left  to  do  but  to  return  to  Hungry 
Creek.  Finding  a scanty  supply  of  grass,  they  camped 
under  most  depressing  circumstances;  their  outlook  now 
was  the  passing  of  four  or  five  days  in  the  midst  of  snows 
from  ten  to  fifteen  feet  deep,  with  no  guide,  no  road,  and 
no  forage.  In  this  emergency,  two  men  were  sent  back 
to  the  Chopunnish  country  to  hurry  up  the  Indians  who 
had  promised  to  accompany  them  over  the  mountains ; and, 
to  insure  a guide,  these  men  were  authorized  to  offer  a 
rifle  as  a reward  for  any  one  who  would  undertake  the  task. 
For  the  present,  it  was  thought  best  to  return  to  Quamash 
flats. 


Chapter  XXIII 

Crossing  the  Bitter  Root  Mountains 

DISASTERS  many  kept  pace  with  the  unhappy  ex- 
plorers on  their  way  back  to  Quamash  flats  after 
their  rebuff  at  the  base  of  the  Bitter  Root  Mountains. 
One  of  the  horses  fell  down  a rough  and  rocky  place, 
carrying  his  rider  with  him ; but  fortunately  neither  horse 
nor  man  was  killed.  Next,  a man,  sent  ahead  to  cut  down 
the  brush  that  blocked  the  path,  cut  himself  badly  on  the 
inside  of  his  thigh  and  bled  copiously.  The  hunters  sent 
out  for  game  returned  empty-handed.  The  fishermen 
caught  no  fish,  but  broke  the  two  Indian  gigs,  or  contriv- 
ances for  catching  fish,  with  which  they  had  been  pro- 
vided. The  stock  of  salt  had  given  out,  the  bulk  of  their 
supply  having  been  left  on  the  mountain.  Several  large 
mushrooms  were  brought  in  by  Cruzatte,  but  these  were 
eaten  without  pepper,  salt,  or  any  kind  of  grease,  — “a 
very  tasteless,  insipid  food,”  as  the  journal  says.  To  crown 
all,  the  mosquitoes  were  pestilential  in  their  numbers  and 
venom. 

Nevertheless,  the  leaders  of  the  expedition  were  deter- 
mined to  press  on  and  pass  the  Bitter  Root  Mountains  as 
soon  as  a slight  rest  at  Quamash  flats  should  be  had.  If 
they  should  tarry  until  the  snows  melted  from  the  trail, 
they  would  be  too  late  to  reach  the  United  States  that 
winter  and  would  be  compelled  to  pass  the  next  winter  at 


20 


306  First  Across  the  Continent 


some  camp  high  up  on  the  Missouri,  as  they  had  passed 
one  winter  at  Fort  Mandan,  on  their  way  out.  This  is 
the  course  of  argument  which  Captain  Lewis  and  Clark 
took  to  persuade  each  other  as  to  the  best  way  out  of 
their  difficulties : — 

“The  snows  have  formed  a hard,  coarse  bed  without 
crust,  on  which  the  horses  walk  safely  without  slipping; 
the  chief  difficulty,  therefore,  is  to  find  the  road.  In  this 
we  may  be  assisted  by  the  circumstance  that,  though  gen- 
erally ten  feet  in  depth,  the  snow  has  been  thrown  off  by 
the  thick  and  spreading  branches  of  the  trees,  and  from 
round  the  trunk;  while  the  warmth  of  the  trunk  itself, 
acquired  by  the  reflection  of  the  sun,  or  communicated  by 
natural  heat  of  the  earth,  which  is  never  frozen  under  these 
masses,  has  dissolved  the  snow  so  much  that  immediately 
at  the  roots  its  depth  is  not  more  than  one  or  two  feet. 
We  therefore  hope  that  the  marks  of  the  baggage  rubbing 
against  the  trees  may  still  be  perceived ; and  we  have  de- 
cided, in  case  the  guide  cannot  be  procured,  that  one  of  us 
will  take  three  or  four  of  our  most  expert  woodsmen,  sev- 
eral of  our  best  horses,  and  an  ample  supply  of  provisions, 
go  on  two  days’  journey  in  advance,  and  endeavor  to  trace 
the  route  by  the  marks  of  the  Indian  baggage  on  the  trees, 
which  we  would  then  mark  more  distinctly  with  a toma- 
hawk. When  they  should  have  reached  two  days’  journey 
beyond  Hungry  Creek,  two  of  the  men  were  to  be  sent  back 
to  apprise  the  rest  of  their  success,  and  if  necessary  to 
cause  them  to  delay  there;  lest,  by  advancing  too  soon, 
they  should  be  forced  to  halt  where  no  food  could  be  ob- 
tained for  the  horses.  If  the  traces  of  the  baggage  be  too 
indistinct,  the  whole  party  is  to  return  to  Hungry  Creek, 
and  we  will  then  attempt  the  passage  by  ascending  the 
main  southwest  branch  of  Lewis’  River  through  the  country 


Crossing  the  Bitter  Root  Mountains  307 


of  the  Shoshonees,  over  to  Madison  or  Gallatin  River.  On 
that  route,  the  Chopunnish  inform  us,  there  is  a passage 
not  obstructed  by  snow  at  this  period  of  the  year.” 

On  their  return  to  Quamash  flats  the  party  met  two 
Indians  who,  after  some  parley,  agreed  to  pilot  them  over 
the  mountains;  these  camped  where  they  were,  and  the 
party  went  on  to  the  flats,  having  exacted  a promise  from 
the  Indians  that  they  would  wait  there  two  nights  for  the 
white  men  to  come  along.  When  the  party  reached  their 
old  camp,  they  found  that  one  of  their  hunters  had  killed  a 
deer,  which  was  a welcome  addition  to  their  otherwise 
scanty  supper.  Next  day,  the  hunters  met  with  astonish- 
ing luck,  bringing  into  camp  eight  deer  and  three  bears. 
Four  of  the  men  were  directed  to  go  to  the  camp  of  the 
two  Indians,  and  if  these  were  bent  on  going  on,  to  accom- 
pany them  and  so  mark,  or  blaze,  the  trees  that  the  rest 
of  the  party  would  have  no  difficulty  in  finding  the  way, 
later  on. 

Meanwhile,  the  men  who  had  been  sent  back  for  guides 
returned,  bringing  with  them  the  pleasing  information  that 
three  Indians  whom  they  brought  with  them  had  consented 
to  guide  the  party  to  the  great  falls  of  the  Missouri,  for 
the  pay  of  two  guns.  Accordingly,  once  more  (June  26), 
they  set  out  for  the  mountains,  travelling  for  the  third  time 
in  twelve  days  the  route  between  Quamash  flats  and  the 
Bitter  Root  range.  For  the  second  time  they  ran  up 
against  a barrier  of  snow.  They  measured  the  depth 
of  the  snow  at  the  place  where  they  had  left  their  luggage 
at  their  previous  repulse  and  found  it  to  be  ten  feet  and 
ten  inches  deep ; and  it  had  sunk  four  feet  since  they  had 
been  turned  back  at  this  point.  Pressing  on,  after  they 
reached  their  old  camp,  they  found  a bare  spot  on  the  side 
of  the  mountain  where  there  was  a little  grass  for  their 


308  First  Across  the  Continent 


horses ; and  there  they  camped  for  the  night.  They 
were  fortunate  in  having  Indian  guides  with  them;  and 
the  journal  says:  — 

“ The  marks  on  the  trees,  which  had  been  our  chief 
dependence,  are  much  fewer  and  more  difficult  to  be 
distinguished  than  we  had  supposed.  But  our  guides 
traverse  this  trackless  region  with  a kind  of  instinctive 
sagacity ; they  never  hesitate,  they  are  never  embarrassed ; 
and  so  undeviating  is  their  step,  that  wherever  the  snow 
has  disappeared,  for  even  a hundred  paces,  we  find  the 
summer  road.  With  their  aid  the  snow  is  scarcely  a dis- 
advantage ; for  though  we  are  often  obliged  to  slip  down, 
yet  the  fallen  timber  and  the  rocks,  which  are  now  cov- 
ered, were  much  more  troublesome  when  we  passed  in  the 
autumn.  Travelling  is  indeed  comparatively  pleasant,  as 
well  as  more  rapid,  the  snow  being  hard  and  coarse,  with- 
out a crust,  and  perfectly  hard  enough  to  prevent  the 
horses  sinking  more  than  two  or  three  inches.  After  the 
sun  has  been  on  it  for  some  hours  it  becomes  softer  than  it 
is  early  in  the  morning ; yet  they  are  almost  always  able  to 
get  a sure  foothold.” 

On  the  twenty-ninth  of  June  the  party  were  well  out  of 
the  snows  in  which  they  had  been  imprisoned,  although 
they  were  by  no  means  over  the  mountain  barrier  that  had 
been  climbed  so  painfully  during  the  past  few  days.  Here 
they  observed  the  tracks  of  two  barefooted  Indians  who 
had  evidently  been  fleeing  from  their  enemies,  the  Pah- 
kees.  These  signs  disturbed  the  Indian  guides,  for  they 
at  once  said  that  the  tracks  were  made  by  their  friends, 
the  Ootlashoots,  and  that  the  Pahkees  would  also  cut 
them  (the  guides)  off  on  their  return  from  the  trip  over 
the  mountains.  On  the  evening  of  the  day  above  men- 
tioned, the  party  camped  at  the  warm  springs  which  fall 


Crossing  the  Bitter  Root  Mountains  309 


into  Traveller’s-rest  Creek,  a point  now  well  known  to 
the  explorers,  who  had  passed  that  way  before.  Of  the 
springs  the  journal  says : — 

“ These  warm  springs  are  situated  at  the  foot  of  a hill 
on  the  north  side  of  Traveller’s-rest  Creek,  which  is  ten 
yards  wide  at  this  place.  They  issue  from  the  bottoms, 
and  through  the  interstices  of  a gray  freestone  rock,  which 
rises  in  irregular  masses  round  their  lower  side.  The 
principal  spring,  which  the  Indians  have  formed  into  a 
bath  by  stopping  the  run  with  stone  and  pebbles,  is  about 
the  same  temperature  as  the  warmest  bath  used  at  the  hot 
springs  in  Virginia.  On  trying,  Captain  Lewis  could  with 
difficulty  remain  in  it  nineteen  minutes,  and  then  was 
affected  with  a profuse  perspiration.  The  two  other  springs 
are  much  hotter,  the  temperature  being  equal  to  that  of  the 
warmest  of  the  hot  springs  in  Virginia.  Our  men,  as  well 
as  the  Indians,  amused  themselves  with  going  into  the 
bath;  the  latter,  according  to  their  universal  custom, 
going  first  into  the  hot  bath,  where  they  remain  as  long  as 
they  can  bear  the  heat,  then  plunging  into  the  creek, 
which  is  now  of  an  icy  coldness,  and  repeating  this 
operation  several  times,  but  always  ending  with  the  warm 
bath.” 

Traveller’s-rest  Creek,  it  will  be  recollected,  is  on  the 
summit  of  the  Bitter  Root  Mountains,  and  the  expedition 
had  consequently  passed  from  Idaho  into  Montana,  as 
these  States  now  exist  on  the  map ; but  they  were  still 
on  the  Pacific  side  of  the  Great  Divide,  or  the  backbone 
of  the  continent.  Much  game  was  seen  in  this  region, 
and  after  reaching  Traveller’s-rest  Creek,  the  hunters  killed 
six  deer;  great  numbers  of  elk  and  bighorn  were  also  seen 
in  this  vicinity.  On  the  thirtieth  of  July  the  party  were  at 
their  old  camp  of  September  9 and  10,  1805,  having  made 


310 


First  Across  the  Continent 


one  hundred  and  fifty-six  miles  from  Quamash  flats  to  the 
mouth  of  the  creek  where  they  now  camped.  Here  a 
plan  to  divide  and  subdivide  the  party  was  made  out  as 
follows : — 

“ Captain  Lewis,  with  nine  men,  is  to  pursue  the  most 
direct  route  to  the  falls  of  the  Missouri,  where  three  of  his 
party  [Thompson,  Goodrich,  and  McNeal]  are  to  be  left 
to  prepare  carriages  for  transporting  the  baggage  and 
canoes  across  the  portage.  With  the  remaining  six,  he 
will  ascend  Maria’s  River  to  explore  the  country  and 
ascertain  whether  any  branch  of  it  reaches  as  far  north  as 
latitude  50°,  after  which  he  will  descend  that  river  to  its 
mouth.  The  rest  of  the  men  will  accompany  Captain 
Clark  to  the  head  of  Jefferson  River,  which  Sergeant  Ord- 
way  and  a party  of  nine  men  will  descend,  with  the  canoes 
and  other  articles  deposited  there.  Captain  Clark’s  party, 
which  will  then  be  reduced  to  ten  men  and  Sacajawea,  will 
proceed  to  the  Yellowstone,  at  its  nearest  approach  to  the 
Three  Forks  of  the  Missouri.  There  he  will  build  canoes, 
go  down  that  river  with  seven  of  his  party,  and  wait  at  its 
mouth  till  the  rest  of  the  party  join  him.  Sergeant  Pryor, 
with  two  others,  will  then  take  the  horses  by  land  to  the 
Mandans.  From  that  nation  he  will  go  to  the  British 
posts  on  the  Assiniboin  with  a letter  to  Mr.  Alexander 
Henry,  to  procure  his  endeavors  to  prevail  on  some  of 
the  Sioux  chiefs  to  accompany  him  to  the  city  of  Wash- 
ington. 

“The  Indians  who  had  accompanied  us  intended  leav- 
ing us  in  order  to  seek  their  friends,  the  Ootlashoots;  but 
we  prevailed  on  them  to  accompany  Captain  Lewis  a part 
of  his  route,  so  as  to  show  him  the  shortest  road  to  the 
Missouri,  and  in  the  mean  time  amused  them  with  conver- 


Crossing  the  Bitter  Root  Mountains  3 1 1 


sation  and  running  races,  on  foot  and  with  horses,  in  both 
of  which  they  proved  themselves  hardy,  athletic,  and 
active.  To  the  chief  Captain  Lewis  gave  a small  medal 
and  a gun,  as  a reward  for  having  guided  us  across  the 
mountains  ; in  return  the  customary  civility  of  exchanging 
names  passed  between  them,  by  which  the  former  ac- 
quired the  title  of  Yomekollick,  or  White  Bearskin  Un- 
folded.” 


Chapter  XXIV 

The  Expedition  Subdivided 

ON  the  third  of  July,  accordingly,  Captain  Lewis, 
with  nine  of  his  men  and  five  Indians,  proceeded 
down  the  valley  lying  between  the  Rocky  and  the  Bitter 
Root  ranges  of  mountains,  his  general  course  being  due 
northwest  of  Clark’s  fork  of  the  Columbia  River.  Cross- 
ing several  small  streams  that  make  into  this  river,  they 
finally  reached  and  crossed  the  Missoula  River  from  west 
to  east,  below  the  confluence  of  the  St.  Mary’s  and  Hell- 
gate  rivers,  or  creeks;  for  these  streams  hardly  deserve 
the  name  of  rivers.  The  party  camped  for  the  night 
within  a few  miles  of  the  site  of  the  present  city  of 
Missoula,  Montana.  Here  they  were  forced  to  part  from 
their  good  friends  and  allies,  the  Indians,  who  had 
crossed  the  range  with  them.  These  men  were  afraid 
that  they  would  be  cut  off  by  their  foes,  the  Pahkees, 
and  they  wanted  to  find  and  join  some  band  of  the  Indian 
nation  with  whom  they  were  on  terms  of  friendship.  The 
journal  gives  this  account  of  the  parting:  — 

“We  now  smoked  a farewell  pipe  with  our  estimable 
companions,  who  expressed  every  emotion  of  regret  at 
parting  with  us ; which  they  felt  the  more,  because  they 
did  not  conceal  their  fears  of  our  being  cut  off  by  the 
Pahkees.  We  also  gave  them  a shirt,  a handkerchief, 
and  a small  quantity  of  ammunition.  The  meat  which 
they  received  from  us  was  dried  and  left  at  this  place, 


The  Expedition  Subdivided 


3X3 


as  a store  during  the  homeward  journey.  This  circum- 
stance confirms  our  belief  that  there  is  no  route  along 
Clark’s  River  to  the  Columbian  plains  so  near  or  so  good 
as  that  by  which  we  came;  for,  though  these  people  mean 
to  go  for  several  days’  journey  down  that  river,  to  look  for 
the  Shalees  [Ootlashoots],  yet  they  intend  returning  home 
by  the  same  pass  of  the  mountains  through  which  they 
have  conducted  us.  This  route  is  also  used  by  all  the 
nations  whom  we  know  west  of  the  mountains  who  are  in 
the  habit  of  visiting  the  plains  of  the  Missouri;  while 
on  the  other  side,  all  the  war-paths  of  the  Pahkees 
which  fall  into  this  valley  of  Clark’s  River  concentre  at 
Traveller’s-rest,  beyond  which  these  people  have  never 
ventured  to  the  west.” 

During  the  next  day  or  two,  Captain  Lewis  kept  on 
the  same  general  course  through  a well-watered  country, 
the  ground  gradually  rising  as  he  approached  the  base 
of  the  mountains.  Tracks  of  Indians,  supposed  to  be 
Pahkees,  became  more  numerous  and  fresh.  On  the 
seventh  of  July,  the  little  company  went  through  the 
famous  pass  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  now  properly  named 
for  the  leaders  of  the  expedition.  Here  is  the  journal’s 
account  of  their  finding  the  Lewis  and  Clark  Pass:  — 

“At  the  distance  of  twelve  miles  we  left  the  river,  or 
rather  the  creek,  and  having  for  four  miles  crossed  two 
ridges  in  a direction  north  fifteen  degrees  east,  again 
struck  to  the  right,  proceeding  through  a narrow  bottom 
covered  with  low  willows  and  grass,  and  abundantly  sup- 
plied with  both  deer  and  beaver.  After  travelling  seven 
miles  we  reached  the  foot  of  a ridge,  which  we  ascended 
in  a direction  north  forty-five  degrees  east,  through  a low 
gap  of  easy  ascent  from  the  westward;  and,  on  descending 
it,  were  delighted  at  discovering  that  this  was  the  dividing 


3*4 


First  Across  the  Continent 


ridge  between  the  waters  of  the  Columbia  and  those  of  the 
Missouri.  From  this  gap  Fort  Mountain  is  about  twenty 
miles  in  a northeastern  direction.  We  now  wound 
through  the  hills  and  mountains,  passing  several  rivulets 
which  ran  to  the  right,  and  at  the  distance  of  nine  miles 
from  the  gap  encamped,  having  made  thirty-two  miles. 
We  procured  some  beaver,  and  this  morning  saw  tracks  of 
buffalo,  from  which  it  appears  that  those  animals  do  some- 
times penetrate  a short  distance  among  the  mountains.” 

Next  day  the  party  found  themselves  in  clover,  so  to 
speak.  Game  was  plenty,  and,  as  their  object  now  was 
to  accumulate  meat  for  the  three  men  who  were  to  be  left 
at  the  falls  (and  who  were  not  hunters),  they  resolved  to 
strike  the  Medicine,  or  Sun,  River  and  hunt  down  its 
banks.  On  that  river  the  journal,  July  io,  has  this  to 
say : — 

“In  the  plains  are  great  quantities  of  two  species  of 
prickly-pear  now  in  bloom.  Gooseberries  of  the  common 
red  kind  are  in  abundance  and  just  beginning  to  ripen,  but 
there  are  no  currants.  The  river  has  now  widened  to  one 
hundred  yards;  it  is  deep,  crowded  with  islands,  and  in 
many  parts  rapid.  At  the  distance  of  seventeen  miles,  the 
timber  disappears  totally  from  the  river-bottoms.  About 
this  part  of  the  river,  the  wind,  which  had  blown  on  our 
backs,  and  constantly  put  the  elk  on  their  guard,  shifted 
round;  we  then  shot  three  of  them  and  a brown  bear. 
Captain  Lewis  halted  to  skin  them,  while  two  of  the  men 
took  the  pack-horses  forward  to  seek  for  a camp.  It  was 
nine  o’clock  before  he  overtook  them,  at  the  distance  of 
seven  miles,  in  the  first  grove  of  cottonwood.  They  had 
been  pursued  as  they  came  along  by  a very  large  bear, 
on  which  they  were  afraid  to  fire,  lest  their  horses,  being 
unaccustomed  to  the  gun,  might  take  fright  and  throw 


The  Expedition  Subdivided  315 


them.  This  circumstance  reminds  us  of  the  ferocity  of 
these  animals,  when  we  were  last  near  this  place,  and 
admonishes  us  to  be  very  cautious.  We  saw  vast  num- 
bers of  buffalo  below  us,  which  kept  up  a dreadful  bellow- 
ing during  the  night.  With  all  our  exertions  we  were 
unable  to  advance  more  than  twenty-four  miles,  owing 
to  the  mire  through  which  we  are  obliged  to  travel,  in 
consequence  of  the  rain.  ” 

The  Sun,  or  Medicine,  River  empties  into  the  Mis- 
souri just  above  the  great  falls  of  that  stream ; and  near 
here,  opposite  White  Bear  Islands,  the  expedition  had 
deposited  some  of  their  property  in  a cache  dug  near  the 
river  bank,  when  they  passed  that  way,  a year  before. 
On  the  thirteenth  of  the  month,  having  reached  their  old 
camping-ground  here,  the  party  set  to  work  making  boat- 
gear  and  preparing  to  leave  their  comrades  in  camp  well 
fixed  for  their  stay.  The  journal  adds : — 

“ On  opening  the  cache,  we  found  the  bearskins  entirely 
destroyed  by  the  water,  which  in  a flood  of  the  river  had 
penetrated  to  them.  All  the  specimens  of  plants,  too, 
were  unfortunately  lost : the  chart  of  the  Missouri,  how- 
ever, still  remained  unhurt,  and  several  articles  contained 
in  trunks  and  boxes  had  suffered  but  little  injury;  but  a 
vial  of  laudanum  had  lost  its  stopper,  and  the  liquid  had 
run  into  a drawer  of  medicines,  which  it  spoiled  beyond 
recovery.  The  mosquitoes  were  so  troublesome  that  it 
was  impossible  even  to  write  without  a mosquito  bier. 
The  buffalo  were  leaving  us  fast,  on  their  way  to  the 
southeast.” 

One  of  the  party  met  with  an  amusing  adventure  here, 
which  is  thus  described : — 

“At  night  M’Neal,  who  had  been  sent  in  the  morning 
to  examine  the  cache  at  the  lower  end  of  the  portage, 


3 1 6 


First  Across  the  Continent 


returned;  but  had  been  prevented  from  reaching  that 
place  by  a singular  adventure.  Just  as  he  arrived  near 
Willow  run,  he  approached  a thicket  of  brush  in  which 
was  a white  bear,  which  he  did  not  discover  till  he  was 
within  ten  feet  of  him.  His  horse  started,  and  wheeling 
suddenly  round,  threw  M’Neal  almost  immediately  under 
the  bear,  which  started  up  instantly.  Finding  the  bear 
raising  himself  on  his  hind  feet  to  attack  him,  he  struck 
him  on  the  head  with  the  butt  end  of  his  musket;  the 
blow  was  so  violent  that  it  broke  the  breech  of  the 
musket  and  knocked  the  bear  to  the  ground.  Before  he 
recovered,  M’Neal,  seeing  a willow-tree  close  by,  sprang 
up,  and  there  remained  while  the  bear  closely  guarded 
the  foot  of  the  tree  until  late  in  the  afternoon.  He  then 
went  off;  M’Neal  being  released  came  down,  and  having 
found  his  horse,  which  had  strayed  off  to  the  distance  of 
two  miles,  returned  to  camp.  These  animals  are,  indeed, 
of  a most  extraordinary  ferocity,  and  it  is  matter  of 
wonder  that  in  all  our  encounters  we  have  had  the  good 
fortune  to  escape.  We  are  now  troubled  with  another 
enemy,  not  quite  so  dangerous,  though  even  more  dis- 
agreeable: these  are  the  mosquitoes,  who  now  infest  us 
in  such  myriads  that  we  frequently  get  them  into  our 
throats  when  breathing,  and  the  dog  even  howls  with  the 
torture  they  occasion.” 

The  intention  of  Captain  Lewis  was  to  reach  the  river 
sometimes  known  as  Maria’s,  and  sometimes  as  Marais, 
or  swamp.  This  stream  rises  near  the  boundary  between 
Montana  and  the  British  possessions,  and  flows  into  the 
Missouri,  where  the  modern  town  of  Ophir  is  built. 
The  men  left  at  the  great  falls  were  to  dig  up  the  canoes 
and  baggage  that  had  been  cached  there  the  previous 
year,  and  be  ready  to  carry  around  the  portage  of  the 


The  Expedition  Subdivided 


3J7 


falls  the  stuff  that  would  be  brought  from  the  two  forks 
of  the  Jefferson,  later  on,  by  Sergeant  Ordway  and  his 
party.  It  will  be  recollected  that  this  stuff  had  also  been 
cached  at  the  forks  of  the  Jefferson,  the  year  before.  The 
two  parties,  thus  united,  were  to  go  down  to  the  entrance 
of  Maria’s  River  into  the  Missouri,  and  Captain  Lewis 
expected  to  join  them  there  by  the  fifth  of  August ; if 
he  failed  to  meet  them  by  that  time,  they  were  to  go  on 
down  the  river  and  meet  Captain  Clark  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Yellowstone.  This  explanation  is  needed  to  the 
proper  understanding  of  the  narrative  that  follows;  for 
we  now  have  to  keep  track  of  three  parties  of  the 
explorers. 

Captain  Lewis  and  his  men,  having  travelled  northwest 
about  twenty  miles  from  the  great  falls  of  the  Missouri, 
struck  the  trail  of  a wounded  buffalo.  They  were  dis- 
mayed by  the  sight,  for  that  assured  them  that  there 
were  Indians  in  the  vicinity;  and  the  most  natural  thing 
to  expect  was  that  these  were  Blackfeet,  or  Minnetarees; 
both  of  these  tribes  are  vicious  and  rascally  people,  and 
they  would  not  hesitate  to  attack  a small  party  and  rob 
them  of  their  guns,  if  they  thought  themselves  able  to 
get  away  with  them. 

They  were  now  in  the  midst  of  vast  herds  of  buffalo,  so 
numerous  that  the  whole  number  seemed  one  immense 
herd.  Hanging  on  the  flanks  were  many  wolves ; hares 
and  antelope  were  also  abundant.  On  the  fourth  day  out, 
Captain  Lewis  struck  the  north  fork  of  Maria’s  River, 
now  known  as  Cut-bank  River,  in  the  northwest  corner  of 
Montana.  He  was  desirous  of  following  up  the  stream, 
to  ascertain,  if  possible,  whether  its  fountain-head  was 
below,  or  above,  the  boundary  between  the  United  States 
and  the  British  possessions.  Bad  weather  and  an  acci- 


First  Across  the  Continent 


318 


dent  to  his  chronometer  prevented  his  accomplishing  his 
purpose,  and,  on  the  twenty-sixth  of  July,  he  turned 
reluctantly  back,  giving  the  name  of  Cape  Disappoint- 
ment to  his  last  camping-place.  Later  in  that  day,  as 
they  were  travelling  down  the  main  stream  (Maria’s 
River),  they  encountered  the  Indians  whom  they  had 
hoped  to  avoid.  Let  us  read  the  story  as  it  is  told  in 
the  journal  of  the  party:  — 

“At  the  distance  of  three  miles  we  ascended  the  hills 
close  to  the  river-side,  while  Drewyer  pursued  the  valley 
of  the  river  on  the  opposite  side.  But  scarcely  had 
Captain  Lewis  reached  the  high  plain  when  he  saw,  about 
a mile  on  his  left,  a collection  of  about  thirty  horses. 
He  immediately  halted,  and  by  the  aid  of  his  spy-glass 
discovered  that  one-half  of  the  horses  were  saddled,  and 
that  on  the  eminence  above  the  horses  several  Indians 
were  looking  down  toward  the  river,  probably  at  Drewyer. 
This  was  a most  unwelcome  sight.  Their  probable  num- 
bers rendered  any  contest  with  them  of  doubtful  issue; 
to  attempt  to  escape  would  only  invite  pursuit,  and  our 
horses  were  so  bad  that  we  must  certainly  be  overtaken; 
besides  which,  Drewyer  could  not  yet  be  aware  that  the 
Indians  were  near,  and  if  we  ran  he  would  most  probably 
be  sacrificed.  We  therefore  determined  to  make  the  most 
of  our  situation,  and  advance  toward  them  in  a friendly 
manner.  The  flag  which  we  had  brought  in  case  of  any 
such  accident  was  therefore  displayed,  and  we  continued 
slowly  our  march  toward  them.  Their  whole  attention 
was  so  engaged  by  Drewyer  that  they  did  not  imme- 
diately discover  us.  As  soon  as  they  did  see  us,  they 
appeared  to  be  much  alarmed  and  ran  about  in  confusion ; 
some  of  them  came  down  the  hill  and  drove  their  horses 
within  gunshot  of  the  eminence,  to  which  they  then  re- 


A Group  of  Buffaloes 


The  Expedition  Subdivided  319 


turned,  as  if  to  await  our  arrival.  When  we  came  within 
a quarter  of  a mile,  one  of  the  Indians  mounted  and  rode 
at  full  speed  to  receive  us;  but  when  within  a hundred 
paces  of  us,  he  halted.  Captain  Lewis,  who  had  alighted 
to  receive  him,  held  out  his  hand  and  beckoned  to  him  to 
approach ; he  only  looked  at  us  for  some  time,  and  then, 
without  saying  a word,  returned  to  his  companions  with 
as  much  haste  as  he  had  advanced.  The  whole  party 
now  descended  the  hill  and  rode  toward  us.  As  yet  we 
saw  only  eight,  but  presumed  that  there  must  be  more 
behind  us,  as  there  were  several  horses  saddled.  We 
however  advanced,  and  Captain  Lewis  now  told  his  two 
men  that  he  believed  these  were  the  Minnetarees  of  Fort 
de  Prairie,  who,  from  their  infamous  character,  would  in 
all  probability  attempt  to  rob  us;  but  being  determined 
to  die  rather  than  lose  his  papers  and  instruments,  he 
intended  to  resist  to  the  last  extremity,  and  advised  them 
to  do  the  same,  and  to  be  on  the  alert  should  there  be 
any  disposition  to  attack  us.  When  the  two  parties 
came  within  a hundred  yards  of  each  other,  all  the 
Indians,  except  one,  halted.  Captain  Lewis  therefore 
ordered  his  two  men  to  halt  while  he  advanced,  and  after 
shaking  hands  with  the  Indian,  went  on  and  did  the 
same  with  the  others  in  the  rear,  while  the  Indian  him- 
self shook  hands  with  the  two  men.  They  all  now  came 
up;  and  after  alighting,  the  Indians  asked  to  smoke  with 
us.  Captain  Lewis,  who  was  very  anxious  for  Drewyer’s 
safety,  told  them  that  the  man  who  had  gone  down  the 
river  had  the  pipe,  and  requested  that  as  they  had  seen 
him,  one  of  them  would  accompany  R.  Fields,  to  bring 
him  back.  To  this  they  assented,  and  Fields  went  with 
a young  man  in  search  of  Drewyer.” 

Captain  Lewis  now  asked  them  by  signs  if  they  were 


32° 


First  Across  the  Continent 


Minnetarees  of  the  north,  and  he  was  sorry  to  be  told 
in  reply  that  they  were ; he  knew  them  to  be  a bad  lot. 
When  asked  if  they  had  any  chief  among  them,  they 
pointed  out  three.  The  captain  did  not  believe  them, 
but,  in  order  to  keep  on  good  terms  with  them,  he  gave 
to  one  a flag,  to  another  a medal,  and  to  the  third  a hand- 
kerchief. At  Captain  Lewis’  suggestion,  the  Indians 
and  the  white  men  camped  together,  and  in  the  course 
of  the  evening  the  red  men  told  the  captain  that  they 
were  part  of  a big  band  of  their  tribe,  or  nation.  The 
rest  of  the  tribe,  they  said,  were  hunting  further  up  the 
river,  and  were  then  in  camp  near  the  foot  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains.  The  captain,  in  return,  told  them  that  his 
party  had  come  from  the  great  lake  where  the  sun  sets, 
and  that  he  was  in  hopes  that  he  could  induce  the  Minne- 
tarees to  live  in  peace  with  their  neighbors  and  come 
and  trade  at  the  posts  that  would  be  established  in  their 
country  by  and  by.  He  offered  them  ten  horses  and 
some  tobacco  if  they  would  accompany  his  party  down 
the  river  below  the  great  falls.  To  this  they  made  no 
reply.  Being  still  suspicious  of  these  sullen  guests, 
Captain  Lewis  made  his  dispositions  for  the  night,  with 
orders  for  the  sentry  on  duty  to  rouse  all  hands  if  the 
Indians  should  attempt  to  steal  anything  in  the  night. 
Next  morning  trouble  began.  Says  the  journal: — • 

“At  sunrise,  the  Indians  got  up  and  crowded  around 
the  fire  near  which  J.  Fields,  who  was  then  on  watch, 
had  carelessly  left  his  rifle,  near  the  head  of  his  brother, 
who  was  still  asleep.  One  of  the  Indians  slipped  behind 
him,  and,  unperceived,  took  his  brother’s  and  his  own 
rifle,  while  at  the  same  time  two  others  seized  those  of 
Drewyer  and  Captain  Lewis.  As  soon  as  Fields  turned, 
he  saw  the  Indian  running  off  with  the  rifles;  instantly 


The  Expedition  Subdivided 


321 


4 calling  his  brother,  they  pursued  him  for  fifty  or  sixty  yards ; 
just  as  they  overtook  him,  in  the  scuffle  for  the  rifles 
R.  Fields  stabbed  him  through  the  heart  with  his  knife. 
The  Indian  ran  about  fifteen  steps  and  fell  dead.  They 
now  ran  back  with  their  rifles  to  the  camp.  The  moment 
the  fellow  touched  his  gun,  Drewyer,  who  was  awake, 
jumped  up  and  wrested  it  from  him.  The  noise  awoke 
Captain  Lewis,  who  instantly  started  from  the  ground  and 
reached  for  his  gun;  but  finding  it  gone,  drew  a pistol 
from  his  belt,  and  turning  saw  the  Indian  running  off 
with  it.  He  followed  him  and  ordered  him  to  lay  it 
down,  which  he  did  just  as  the  two  Fields  came  up,  and 
were  taking  aim  to  shoot  him;  when  Captain  Lewis 
ordered  them  not  to  fire,  as  the  Indian  did  not  appear 
to  intend  any  mischief.  He  dropped  the  gun  and  was 
going  slowly  off  when  Drewyer  came  out  and  asked  per- 
mission to  kill  him;  but  this  Captain  Lewis  forbade,  as 
he  had  not  yet  attempted  to  shoot  us.  But  finding  that 
the  Indians  were  now  endeavoring  to  drive  off  all  the 
horses,  he  ordered  all  three  of  us  to  follow  the  main 
party,  who  were  chasing  the  horses  up  the  river,  and  fire 
instantly  upon  the  thieves;  while  he,  without  taking 
time  to  run  for  his  shot-pouch,  pursued  the  fellow  who 
had  stolen  his  gun  and  another  Indian,  who  were  driving 
away  the  horses  on  the  left  of  the  camp.  He  pressed 
them  so  closely  that  they  left  twelve  of  their  horses,  but 
continued  to  drive  off  one  of  our  own. 

•“At  the  distance  of  three  hundred  paces  they  entered  a 
steep  niche  in  the  river-bluffs,  when  Captain  Lewis,  being 
too  much  out  of  breath  to  pursue  them  any  further,  called 
out,  as  he  had  done  several  times  before,  that  unless  they 
gave  up  the  horse  he  would  shoot  them.  As  he  raised 
his  gun  one  of  the  Indians  jumped  behind  a rock  and 

21 


322 


First  Across  the  Continent 


spoke  to  the  other,  who  stopped  at  the  distance  of  thirty 
paces.  Captain  Lewis  shot  him  in  the  belly.  He  fell 
on  his  knees  and  right  elbow;  but,  raising  himself  a 
little,  fired,  and  then  crawled  behind  a rock.  The  shot 
had  nearly  proved  fatal ; for  Captain  Lewis,  who  was 
bareheaded,  felt  the  wind  of  the  ball  very  distinctly. 
Not  having  his  shot-pouch,  he  could  not  reload  his  rifle; 
and,  having  only  a single  charge  also  for  his  pistol,  he 
thought  it  most  prudent  not  to  attack  them  farther,  and 
retired  slowly  to  the  camp.  He  was  met  by  Drewyer, 
who,  hearing  the  report  of  the  guns,  had  come  to  his 
assistance,  leaving  the  Fields  to  follow  the  other  Indians. 
Captain  Lewis  ordered  him  to  call  out  to  them  to  desist 
from  the  pursuit,  as  we  could  take  the  horses  of  the  In- 
dians in  place  of  our  own;  but  they  were  at  too  great 
a distance  to  hear  him.  He  therefore  returned  to  the 
camp,  and  while  he  was  saddling  the  horses  the  Fields 
returned  with  four  of  our  own,  having  followed  the 
Indians  until  two  of  them  swam  the  river  and  two  others 
ascended  the  hills,  so  that  the  horses  became  dispersed.” 
The  white  men  were  gainers  by  this  sad  affair,  for  they 
had  now  in  their  possession  four  of  the  Indians’  horses, 
and  had  lost  one  of  their  own.  Besides  these,  they  found 
in  the  camp  of  the  Indians  four  shields,  two  bows  and 
their  quivers,  and  one  of  their  two  guns.  The  captain 
took  some  buffalo  meat  which  he  found  in  the  camp,  and 
then  the  rest  of  their  baggage  was  burned  on  the  spot. 
The  flag  given  to  one  of  the  so-called  chiefs  was  retaken ; 
but  the  medal  given  to  the  dead  man  was  left  around  his 
neck.  The  consequences  of  this  unfortunate  quarrel  were 
far-reaching.  The  tribe  whose  member  was  killed  by  the 
white  men  never  forgave  the  injury,  and  for  years  after 
there  was  no  safety  for  white  men  in  their  vicinity  except 


The  Expedition  Subdivided 


323 


when  the  wayfarers  were  in  great  numbers  or  strongly 
guarded. 

A forced  march  was  now  necessary  for  the  explorers, 
and  they  set  out  as  speedily  as  possible,  well  knowing 
that  the  Indians  would  be  on  their  trail.  By  three 
o’clock  in  the  afternoon  of  that  day  they  had  reached 
Tansy  River,  now  known  as  the  Teton,  having  travelled 
sixty-three  miles.  They  rested  for  an  hour  and  a half 
to  refresh  their  horses,  and  then  pushed  on  for  seventeen 
miles  further  before  camping  again.  Having  killed  a 
buffalo,  they  had  supper  and  stopped  two  hours.  Then, 
travelling  through  vast  herds  of  buffalo  until  two  o’clock 
in  the  morning,  they  halted  again,  almost  dead  with 
fatigue;  they  rested  until  daylight.  On  awaking,  they 
found  themselves  so  stiff  and  sore  with  much  riding  that 
they  could  scarcely  stand.  But  the  lives  of  their  friends 
now  at  or  near  the  mouth  of  Maria’s  River  were  at 
stake,  as  well  as  their  own.  Indeed,  it  was  not  certain 
but  that  the  Indians  had,  by  hard  riding  and  a circuitous 
route,  already  attacked  the  river  party  left  at  the  falls. 
So  Captain  Lewis  told  his  men  that  they  must  go  on, 
and,  if  attacked,  they  must  tie  their  horses  together  by 
the  head  and  stand  together,  selling  their  lives  as  dearly 
as  possible,  or  routing  their  enemies.  The  journal  now 
says : — 

“To  this  they  all  assented,  and  we  therefore  continued 
our  route  to  the  eastward,  till  at  the  distance  of  twelve 
miles  we  came  near  the  Missouri,  when  we  heard  a noise 
which  seemed  like  the  report  of  a gun.  We  therefore 
quickened  our  pace  for  eight  miles  farther,  and,  being 
about  five  miles  from  Grog  Spring,  now  heard  distinctly 
the  noise  of  several  rifles  from  the  river.  We  hurried  to 
the  bank,  and  saw  with  exquisite  satisfaction  our  friends 


324 


First  Across  the  Continent 


descending  the  river.  They  landed  to  greet  us,  and 
after  turning  our  horses  loose,  we  embarked  with  our 
baggage,  and  went  down  to  the  spot  where  we  had  made 
a deposite.  This,  after  reconnoitring  the  adjacent  coun- 
try, we  opened;  but,  unfortunately,  the  cache  had  caved 
in,  and  most  of  the  articles  were  injured.  We  took 
whatever  was  still  worth  preserving,  and  immediately 
proceeded  to  the  point,  where  we  found  our  deposits  in 
good  order.  By  a singular  good  fortune,  we  were  here 
joined  by  Sergeant  Gass  and  Willard  from  the  Falls, 
who  had  been  ordered  to  come  with  the  horses  here  to 
assist  in  procuring  meat  for  the  voyage,  as  it  had  been 
calculated  that  the  canoes  would  reach  this  place  much 
sooner  than  Captain  Lewis’s  party.  After  a very  heavy 
shower  of  rain  and  hail,  attended  with  violent  thunder 
and  lightning,  we  started  from  the  point,  and  giving  a 
final  discharge  to  our  horses,  went  over  to  the  island 
where  we  had  left  our  red  pirogue,  which,  however,  we 
found  much  decayed,  and  we  had  no  means  of  repairing 
her.  We  therefore  took  all  the  iron  work  out  of  her, 
and,  proceeding  down  the  river  fifteen  miles,  encamped 
near  some  cottonwood  trees,  one  of  which  was  of  the 
narrow-leafed  species,  and  the  first  of  that  kind  we  had 
remarked  in  ascending  the  river. 

“Sergeant  Ordway’s  party,  which  had  left  the  mouth 
of  Madison  River  on  the  thirteenth,  had  descended  in 
safety  to  White  Bear  Island,  where  he  arrived  on  the 
nineteenth,  and,  after  collecting  the  baggage,  had  left  the 
falls  on  the  twenty-seventh  in  the  white  pirogue  and  five 
canoes,  while  Sergeant  Gass  and  Willard  set  out  at  the 
same  time  by  land  with  the  horses,  and  thus  fortunately 
met  together.” 

Sergeant  Ordway’s  party,  it  will  be  recollected,  had 


The  Expedition  Subdivided 


325 


left  Captain  Clark  at  the  three  forks  of  the  Missouri,  to 
which  they  had  come  down  the  Jefferson,  and  thence  had 
passed  down  the  Missouri  to  White  Bear  Islands,  and, 
making  the  portage,  had  joined  the  rest  of  the  party  just 
in  time  to  reinforce  them.  Game  was  now  abundant, 
the  buffalo  being  in  enormous  herds;  and  the  bighorn 
were  also  numerous ; the  flesh  of  these  animals  was  in 
fine  condition,  resembling  the  best  of  mutton  in  flavor. 
The  reunited  party  now  descended  the  river,  the  inten- 
tion being  to  reach  the  mouth  of  the  Yellowstone  as  soon 
as  possible,  and  there  wait  for  Captain  Clark,  who,  it 
will  be  recalled,  was  to  explore  that  stream  and  meet 
them  at  the  point  of  its  junction  with  the  Missouri. 
The  voyage  of  Captain  Lewis  and  his  men  was  without 
startling  incident,  except  that  Cruzatte  accidentally  shot 
the  captain,  one  day,  while  they  were  out  hunting.  The 
wound  was  through  the  fleshy  part  of  the  left  thigh,  and 
for  a time  was  very  painful.  As  Cruzatte  was  not  in 
sight  when  the  captain  was  hit,  the  latter  naturally 
thought  he  had  been  shot  by  Indians  hiding  in  the 
thicket.  He  reached  camp  as  best  he  could,  and,  telling 
his  men  to  arm  themselves,  he  explained  that  he  had 
been  shot  by  Indians.  But  when  Cruzatte  came  into 
camp,  mutual  explanations  satisfied  all  hands  that  a mis- 
understanding had  arisen  and  that  Cruzatte’s  unlucky 
shot  was  accidental.  As  an  example  of  the  experience 
of  the  party  about  this  time,  while  they  were  on  their 
way  down  the  Missouri,  we  take  this  extract  from  their 
journal : — 

“We  again  saw  great  numbers  of  buffalo,  elk,  ante- 
lope, deer,  and  wolves;  also  eagles  and  other  birds, 
among  which  were  geese  and  a solitary  pelican,  neither 
of  which  can  fly  at  present,  as  they  are  now  shedding  the 


326  First  Across  the  Continent 


feathers  of  their  wings.  We  also  saw  several  bears,  one 
of  them  the  largest,  except  one,  we  had  ever  seen;  for  he 
measured  nine  feet  from  the  nose  to  the  extremity  of  the 
tail.  During  the  night  a violent  storm  came  on  from  the 
northeast  with  such  torrents  of  rain  that  we  had  scarcely 
time  to  unload  the  canoes  before  they  filled  with  water. 
Having  no  shelter  we  ourselves  were  completely  wet  to 
the  skin,  and  the  wind  and  cold  air  made  our  situation 
very  unpleasant.” 

On  the  twelfth  of  August,  the  Lewis  party  met  with 
two  traders  from  Illinois.  These  men  were  camped  on 
the  northeast  side  of  the  river;  they  had  left  Illinois  the 
previous  summer,  and  had  been  coming  up  the  Missouri 
hunting  and  trapping.  Captain  Lewis  learned  from  them 
that  Captain  Clark  was  below ; and  later  in  that  day  the 
entire  expedition  was  again  united,  Captain  Clark’s  party 
being  found  at  a point  near  where  Little  Knife  Creek 
enters  the  Missouri  River.  We  must  now  take  up  the 
narrative  of  Captain  Clark  and  his  adventures  on  the 
Yellowstone. 


Chapter  XXV 

Adventures  on  the  Yellowstone 


THE  route  of  Captain  Clark  from  the  point  where  he 
and  Captain  Lewis  divided  their  party,  was  rather 
more  difficult  than  that  pursued  by  the  Lewis  detachment. 
But  the  Clark  party  was  larger,  being  composed  of  twenty 
men  and  Sacajawea  and  her  baby.  They  were  to  travel  up 
the  main  fork  of  Clark’s  River  (sometimes  called  the  Bitter 
Root),  to  Ross’s  Hole,  and  then  strike  over  the  great  con- 
tinental divide  at  that  point  by  way  of  the  pass  which  he 
discovered  and  which  was  named  for  him ; thence  he  was 
to  strike  the  headwaters  of  Wisdom  River,  a stream  which 
this  generation  of  men  knows  by  the  vulgar  name  of  Big 
Hole  River ; from  this  point  he  was  to  go  by  the  way  of 
Willard’s  Creek  to  Shoshonee  Cove  and  the  Two  Forks  of 
the  Jefferson,  and  thence  down  that  stream  to  the  Three 
Forks  of  the  Missouri,  up  the  Gallatin,  and  over  the  divide 
to  the  Yellowstone  and  down  that  river  to  its  junction  with 
the  Missouri,  where  he  was  to  join  the  party  of  Captain 
Lewis.  This  is  the  itinerary  that  was  exactly  carried  out. 
The  very  first  incident  set  forth  in  the  journal  is  a celebra- 
tion of  Independence  Day,  as  follows  : — 

“ Friday , July  4.  Early  in  the  morning  three  hunters 
were  sent  out.  The  rest  of  the  party  having  collected  the 
horses  and  breakfasted,  we  proceeded  at  seven  o’clock  up 
the  valley,  which  is  now  contracted  to  the  width  of  from 
eight  to  ten  miles,  with  a good  proportion  of  pitch-pine, 


328  First  Across  the  Continent 


though  its  low  lands,  as  well  as  the  bottoms  of  the  creeks, 
are  strewn  with  large  stones.  We  crossed  five  creeks  of 
different  sizes,  but  of  great  depth,  and  so  rapid  that  in  pass- 
ing the  last  several  of  the  horses  were  driven  down  the 
stream,  and  some  of  our  baggage  was  wet.  Near  this  river 
we  saw  the  tracks  of  two  Indians,  whom  we  supposed  to  be 
Shoshonees.  Having  made  sixteen  miles,  we  halted  at  an 
hour  for  the  purpose  of  doing  honor  to  the  birthday  of  our 
early  country’s  independence.  The  festival  was  not  very 
splendid,  for  it  consisted  of  a mush  made  of  cows  and  a saddle 
of  venison  ; nor  had  we  anything  to  tempt  us  to  prolong  it. 
We  therefore  went  on  till  at  the  distance  of  a mile  we  came 
to  a very  large  creek,  which,  like  all  those  in  the  valley,  had 
an  immense  rapidity  of  descent ; we  therefore  proceeded  up 
for  some  distance,  in  order  to  select  the  most  convenient 
spot  for  fording.  Even  there,  however,  such  was  the  vio- 
lence of  the  current  that,  though  the  water  was  not  higher 
than  the  bellies  of  the  horses,  the  resistance  made  in  pass- 
ing caused  the  stream  to  rise  over  their  backs  and  loads. 
After  passing  the  creek  we  inclined  to  the  left,  and  soon 
after  struck  the  road  which  we  had  descended  last  year, 
near  the  spot  where  we  dined  on  the  7th  of  September 
[1805].  Along  this  road  we  continued  on  the  west  side  of 
Clark’s  River,  till  at  the  distance  of  thirteen  miles,  during 
which  we  passed  three  more  deep,  large  creeks,  we  reached 
its  western  branch,  where  we  camped ; and  having  sent  out 
two  hunters,  despatched  some  men  to  examine  the  best 
ford  across  the  west  fork  of  the  river.  The  game  to-day 
consisted  of  four  deer ; though  we  also  saw  a herd  of  ibex, 
or  bighorn.” 

Two  days  later  they  were  high  up  among  the  moun- 
tains, although  the  ascent  was  not  very  steep.  At  that 
height  they  found  the  weather  very  cool,  so  much  so  that 


Adventures  on  the  Yellowstone 


329 


on  the  morning  of  the  sixth  of  July,  after  a cold  night,  they 
had  a heavy  white  frost  on  the  ground.  Setting  out  on 
that  day,  Captain  Clark  crossed  a ridge  which  proved 
to  be  the  dividing  line  between  the  Pacific  and  the  Atlantic 
watershed.  At  the  same  time  he  passed  from  what  is  now 
Missoula  County,  Montana,  into  the  present  county  of  Beaver 
Head,  in  that  State.  “ Beaver  Head,”  the  reader  will  re- 
collect, comes  from  a natural  elevation  in  that  region  re- 
sembling the  head  of  a beaver.  These  points  will  serve  to 
fix  in  one’s  mind  the  route  of  the  first  exploring  party  that 
ever  ventured  into  those  wilds ; descending  the  ridge  on 
its  eastern  slope,  the  explorers  struck  Glade  Creek,  one  of 
the  sources  of  the  stream  then  named  Wisdom  River,  a 
branch  of  the  Jefferson;  and  the  Jefferson  is  one  of  the 
tributaries  of  the  mighty  Missouri.  Next  day  the  journal 
has  this  entry : — 

“ In  the  morning  our  horses  were  so  much  scattered  that, 
although  we  sent  out  hunters  in  every  direction  to  range 
the  country  for  six  or  eight  miles,  nine  of  them  could  not 
be  recovered.  They  were  the  most  valuable  of  all  our 
horses,  and  so  much  attached  to  some  of  their  companions 
that  it  was  difficult  to  separate  them  in  the  daytime.  We 
therefore  presumed  that  they  must  have  been  stolen  by 
some  roving  Indians ; and  accordingly  left  a party  of  five 
men  to  continue  the  pursuit,  while  the  rest  went  on  to  the 
spot  where  the  canoes  had  been  deposited.  We  set  out 
at  ten  o’clock  and  pursued  a course  S.  56°  E.  across 
the  valley,  which  we  found  to  be  watered  by  four  large 
creeks,  with  extensive  low  and  miry  bottoms ; and  then 
reached  [and  crossed]  Wisdom  River,  along  the  northeast 
side  of  which  we  continued,  till  at  the  distance  of  sixteen 
miles  we  came  to  its  three  branches.  Near  that  place  we 
stopped  for  dinner  at  a hot  spring  situated  in  the  open 


33° 


First  Across  the  Continent 


plain.  The  bed  of  the  spring  is  about  fifteen  yards  in 
circumference,  and  composed  of  loose,  hard,  gritty  stones, 
through  which  the  water  boils  in  great  quantities.  It  is 
slightly  impregnated  with  sulphur,  and  so  hot  that  a piece 
of  meat  about  the  size  of  three  fingers  was  completely 
done  in  twenty-five  minutes.” 

Next  day,  July  8,  the  party  reached  the  forks  of  the  Jef- 
ferson River,  where  they  had  cached  their  goods  in  August, 
1 805 ; they  had  now  travelled  one  hundred  and  sixty-four 
miles  from  Traveller’s-rest  Creek  to  that  point.  The 
men  were  out  of  tobacco,  and  as  there  was  some  among 
the  goods  deposited  in  the  cache  they  made  haste  to  open 
the  cache.  They  found  everything  safe,  although  some  of 
the  articles  were  damp,  and  a hole  had  been  made  in  the 
bottom  of  one  of  the  canoes.  Here  they  were  overtaken 
by  Sergeant  Ordway  and  his  party  with  the  nine  horses 
that  had  escaped  during  the  night  of  the  seventh. 

That  night  the  weather  was  so  cold  that  water  froze  in  a 
basin  to  a thickness  of  three-quarters  of  an  inch,  and  the 
grass  around  the  camp  was  stiff  with  frost,  although  the 
month  of  July  was  nearly  a week  old.  The  boats  taken 
from  the  cache  were  now  loaded,  and  the  explorers  were 
divided  into  two  bands,  one  to  descend  the  river  by  boat 
and  the  other  to  take  the  same  general  route  on  horseback, 
the  objective  point  being  the  Yellowstone.  The  story  is 
taken  up  here  by  the  journal  in  these  lines : — 

“After  breakfast  [July  10]  the  two  parties  set  out,  those 
on  shore  skirting  the  eastern  side  of  Jefferson  River,  through 
Service  [-berry]  Valley  and  over  Rattlesnake  Mountain, 
into  a beautiful  and  extensive  country,  known  among  the 
Indians  by  the  name  of  Hahnahappapchah,  or  Beaverhead 
Valley,  from  the  number  of  those  animals  to  be  found  in  it, 
and  also  from  the  point  of  land  resembling  the  head  of 


Adventures  on  the  Yellowstone 


331 


a beaver.  It  [the  valley]  extends  from  Rattlesnake  Moun- 
tain as  low  as  Frazier’s  Creek,  and  is  about  fifty  miles  in 
length  in  direct  line;  while  its  width  varies  from  ten  to 
fifteen  miles,  being  watered  in  its  whole  course  by  Jefferson 
River  and  six  different  creeks.  The  valley  is  open  and 
fertile ; besides  the  innumerable  quantities  of  beaver  and 
otter  with  which  its  creeks  are  supplied,  the  bushes  of  the 
low  grounds  are  a favorite  resort  for  deer;  while  on  the 
higher  parts  of  the  valley  are  seen  scattered  groups  of 
antelopes,  and  still  further,  on  the  steep  sides  of  the  moun- 
tains, are  observed  many  bighorns,  which  take  refuge  there 
from  the  wolves  and  bears.  At  the  distance  of  fifteen 
miles  the  two  parties  stopped  to  dine ; when  Captain 
Clark,  finding  that  the  river  became  wider  and  deeper,  and 
that  the  canoes  could  advance  more  rapidly  than  the 
horses,  determined  to  go  himself  by  water,  leaving  Ser- 
geant Pryor  with  six  men  to  bring  on  the  horses.  In  this 
way  they  resumed  their  journey  after  dinner,  and  camped 
on  the  eastern  side  of  the  river,  opposite  the  head  of 
Three-thousand-mile  Island.  The  beaver  were  basking  in 
great  numbers  along  the  shore ; there  were  also  some 
young  wild  geese  and  ducks.  The  mosquitoes  were  very 
troublesome  during  the  day,  but  after  sunset  the  weather 
became  cool  and  they  disappeared.” 

Three-thousand-mile  Island  was  so  named  by  the  ex- 
plorers, when  they  ascended  these  streams,  because  it  was 
at  a point  exactly  three  thousand  miles  from  the  mouth 
of  the  Missouri.  But  no  such  island  exists  now;  it  has 
probably  been  worn  away  by  the  swift-rushing  current  of 
the  river.  The  route  of  Captain  Clark  and  his  party,  up 
to  this  time  had  been  a few  miles  west  of  Bannock  City, 
Montana.  As  the  captain  was  now  to  proceed  by  land 
to  the  Yellowstone,  again  leaving  the  canoe  party,  it  is 


332 


First  Across  the  Continent 


well  to  recall  the  fact  that  his  route  from  the  Three  Forks 
of  the  Missouri  to  the  Yellowstone  follows  pretty  nearly 
the  present  line  of  the  railroad  from  Gallatin  City  to 
Livingston,  by  the  way  of  Bozeman  Pass.  Of  this  route 
the  journal  says : — 

“ Throughout  the  whole,  game  was  very  abundant. 
They  procured  deer  in  the  low  grounds ; beaver  and  otter 
were  seen  in  Gallatin  River,  and  elk,  wolves,  eagles,  hawks, 
crows,  and  geese  at  different  parts  of  the  route.  The  plain 
was  intersected  by  several  great  roads  leading  to  a gap 
in  the  mountains,  about  twenty  miles  distant,  in  a direction 
E.N.E. ; but  the  Indian  woman,  who  was  acquainted  with 
the  country,  recommended  a gap  more  to  the  southward. 
This  course  Captain  Clark  determined  to  pursue.” 

Let  us  pause  here  to  pay  a little  tribute  to  the  memory 
of  “ the  Indian  woman,”  Sacajawea.  She  showed  that 
she  was  very  observant,  had  a good  memory,  and  was 
plucky  and  determined  when  in  trouble.  She  was  the 
guide  of  the  exploring  party  when  she  was  in  a region  of 
country,  as  here,  with  which  she  was  familiar.  She  re- 
membered localities  which  she  had  not  seen  since  her 
childhood.  When  their  pirogue  was  upset  by  the  care- 
lessness of  her  husband,  it  was  she  who  saved  the  goods 
and  helped  to  right  the  boat.  And,  with  her  helpless 
infant  clinging  to  her,  she  rode  with  the  men,  guiding 
them  with  unerring  skill  through  the  mountain  fastnesses 
and  lonely  passes  which  the  white  men  saw  for  the  first 
time  when  their  salient  features  were  pointed  out  to  them 
by  the  intelligent  and  faithful  Sacajawea.  The  Indian 
woman  has  long  since  departed  to  the  Happy  Hunting- 
Grounds  of  her  fathers ; only  her  name  and  story  remain 
to  us  who  follow  the  footsteps  of  the  brave  pioneers  of  the 
western  continent.  But  posterity  should  not  forget  the 


Adventures  on  the  Yellowstone 


333 


services  which  were  rendered  to  the  white  race  by 
Sacajawea. 

On  the  fifteenth  of  July,  the  party  arrived  at  the  ridge 
that  divides  the  Missouri  and  the  Yellowstone,  nine  miles 
from  which  they  reached  the  river  itself,  about  a mile  and 
a half  from  the  point  where  it  issues  from  the  Rocky 
Mountains.  Their  journey  down  the  valley  of  the  Yellow- 
stone was  devoid  of  special  interest,  but  was  accompanied 
with  some  hardships.  For  example,  the  feet  of  the  horses 
had  become  so  sore  with  long  travel  over  a stony  trail  that 
it  was  necessary  to  shoe  them  with  raw  buffalo  hide.  Rain 
fell  frequently  and  copiously ; and  often,  sheltered  at  night 
only  by  buffalo  hides,  they  rose  in  the  morning  drenched 
to  the  skin.  The  party  could  not  follow  the  course  of  the 
river  very  closely,  but  were  compelled  often  to  cross  hills 
that  came  down  to  the  bank,  making  the  trail  impassable 
for  horses.  Here  is  the  story  of  July  18  and  19:  — 

“ Gibson,  one  of  the  party,  was  so  badly  hurt  by  falling 
on  a sharp  point  of  wood  that  he  was  unable  to  sit  on  his 
horse,  and  they  were  obliged  to  form  a sort  of  litter  for 
him,  so  that  he  could  lie  nearly  at  full  length.  The  wound 
became  so  painful,  however,  after  proceeding  a short  dis- 
tance, that  he  could  not  bear  the  motion,  and  they  left 
him  with  two  men,  while  Captain  Clark  went  to  search  for 
timber  large  enough  to  form  canoes.  He  succeeded  in 
finding  some  trees  of  sufficient  size  for  small  canoes,  two 
of  which  he  determined  to  construct,  and  by  lashing  them 
together  hoped  to  make  them  answer  the  purpose  of  con- 
veying the  party  down  the  river,  while  a few  of  his  men 
should  conduct  the  horses  to  the  Mandans.  All  hands, 
therefore,  were  set  busily  to  work,  and  they  were  employed 
in  this  labor  for  several  days.  In  the  mean  time  no  less 
than  twenty-four  of  their  horses  were  missing,  and  they 


334 


First  Across  the  Continent 


strongly  suspected  had  been  stolen  by  the  Indians,  for 
they  were  unable  to  find  them,  notwithstanding  they  made 
the  most  diligent  search.” 

“July  23.  A piece  of  a robe  and  a moccasin,”  says  the 
journal,  “ were  discovered  this  morning  not  far  from  the 
camp.  The  moccasin  was  worn  out  in  the  sole,  and  yet 
wet,  and  had  every  appearance  of  having  been  left  but  a 
few  hours  before.  This  was  conclusive  that  the  Indians 
had  taken  our  horses,  and  were  still  prowling  about  for 
the  remainder,  which  fortunately  escaped  last  night  by 
being  in  a small  prairie  surrounded  by  thick  timber.  At 
length  Labiche,  one  of  our  best  trackers,  returned  from 
a very  wide  circuit,  and  informed  Captain  Clark  that  he 
had  traced  the  horses  bending  their  course  rather  down 
the  river  towards  the  open  plains,  and  from  their  tracks, 
must  have  been  going  very  rapidly.  All  hopes  of  recover- 
ing them  were  now  abandoned.  Nor  were  the  Indians  the 
only  plunderers  around  our  camp ; for  in  the  night  the 
wolves  or  dogs  stole  the  greater  part  of  the  dried  meat 
from  the  scaffold.  The  wolves,  which  constantly  attend 
the  buffalo,  were  here  in  great  numbers,  as  this  seemed  to 
be  the  commencement  of  the  buffalo  country.  . . . 

“ At  noon  the  two  canoes  were  finished.  They  were 
twenty-eight  feet  long,  sixteen  or  eighteen  inches  deep, 
and  from  sixteen  to  twenty-four  inches  wide ; and,  having 
lashed  them  together,  everything  was  ready  for  setting  out 
the  next  day,  Gibson  having  now  recovered.  Sergeant 
Pryor  was  directed,  with  Shannon  and  Windsor,  to  take 
the  remaining  horses  to  the  Mandans,  and  if  he  should 
find  that  Mr.  Henry  [a  trading-post  agent]  was  on  the 
Assiniboin  River,  to  go  thither  and  deliver  him  a letter, 
the  object  of  which  was  to  prevail  on  the  most  distinguished 
chiefs  of  the  Sioux  to  accompany  him  to  Washington.” 


Adventures  on  the  Yellowstone 


335 


On  a large  island  near  the  mouth  of  a creek  now  known 
as  Canyon  Creek,  the  party  landed  to  explore  an  exten- 
sive Indian  lodge  which  seems  to  have  been  built  for  coun- 
cils, rather  than  for  a place  of  residence.  The  lodge  was 
shaped  like  a cone,  sixty  feet  in  diameter  at  the  base  and 
tapering  towards  the  top.  The  poles  of  which  it  was 
constructed  were  forty-five  feet  long.  The  interior  was 
strangely  decorated,  the  tops  of  the  poles  being  orna- 
mented with  eagles’  feathers,  and  from  the  centre  hung 
a stuffed  buffalo-hide.  A buffalo’s  head  and  other  trophies 
of  the  chase  were  disposed  about  the  wigwam.  The  valley, 
as  the  explorers  descended  the  river,  was  very  picturesque 
and  wonderful.  On  the  north  side  the  cliffs  were  wild  and 
romantic,  and  these  were  soon  succeeded  by  rugged  hills, 
and  these,  in  turn,  by  open  plains  on  which  were  descried 
herds  of  buffalo,  elk,  and  wolves.  On  the  twenty-seventh 
of  July,  having  reached  the  Bighorn,  one  of  the  largest 
tributaries  of  the  Yellowstone,  the  party  have  this  entry  in 
their  journal : — 

“They  again  set  out  very  early,  and  on  leaving  the 
Bighorn  took  a last  look  at  the  Rocky  Mountains,  which 
had  been  constantly  in  view  from  the  first  of  May.  The 
[Yellowstone]  river  now  widens  to  the  extent  of  from  four 
hundred  to  six  hundred  yards ; it  is  much  divided  by  islands 
and  sandbars;  its  banks  are  generally  low  and  falling  in; 
it  thus  resembles  the  Missouri  in  many  particulars,  but 
its  islands  are  more  numerous,  its  waters  less  muddy,  and 
the  current  is  more  rapid.  The  water  is  of  a yellowish- 
white,  and  the  round  stones,  which  form  the  bars  above 
the  Bighorn,  have  given  place  to  gravel.  On  the  left 
side  the  river  runs  under  cliffs  of  light,  soft,  gritty  stone, 
varying  in  height  from  seventy  to  one  hundred  feet,  behind 
which  are  level  and  extensive  plains.  On  the  right  side 


336 


First  Across  the  Continent 


of  the  river  are  low  extensive  bottoms,  bordered  with 
cottonwood,  various  species  of  willow,  rose-bushes,  grape- 
vines, redberry  or  buffalo-grease  bushes,  and  a species  of 
sumach;  to  these  succeed  high  grounds  supplied  with 
pine,  and  still  further  on  are  level  plains.  Throughout 
the  country  are  vast  quantities  of  buffalo,  which,  as  this 
is  the  running-season,  keep  up  a continued  bellowing. 
Large  herds  of  elk  also  are  lying  on  every  point,  so 
gentle  that  they  may  be  approached  within  twenty  paces 
without  being  alarmed.  Several  beaver  were  seen  in 
the  course  of  the  day ; indeed,  there  is  a greater  appear- 
ance of  those  animals  than  there  was  above  the  Bighorn. 
Deer,  however,  are  by  no  means  abundant,  and  antelopes, 
as  well  as  bighorns,  are  scarce.” 

It  is  noticeable  that  the  explorers,  all  along  their  route, 
gave  to  streams,  rocks,  mountains,  and  other  natural  fea- 
tures of  the  country  many  names  that  appear  to  us  mean- 
ingless and  trifling.  It  would  appear  that  they  used  up 
all  the  big  names,  such  as  Jefferson,  Gallatin,  Philoso- 
phy, Philanthropy,  and  the  like,  and  were  compelled  to 
use,  first,  the  names  of  their  own  party,  and  then  such 
titles  as  were  suggested  by  trifling  incidents.  For  ex- 
ample, when  they  reached  a difficult  shoal  on  the  Yellow- 
stone River,  they  named  that  Buffalo  Shoal  because  they 
found  a buffalo  on  it;  and  Buffalo  Shoal  it  remains  unto 
this  day.  In  like  manner,  when  they  reached  a danger- 
ous rapid,  twenty  miles  below  that  point,  they  saw  a bear 
standing  on  a rock  in  the  stream ; and  Bear  Rapid  the 
place  was  and  is  named.  Bear  and  buffalo  were  pretty 
numerous  all  the  way  along  that  part  of  the  river  which 
they  navigated  in  July.  They  had  now  rejoined  the 
boats,  and  on  the  last  day  of  July,  when  camped  at  a 
point  two  miles  above  Wolf  Rapid  (so  called  from  seeing 


Adventures  on  the  Yellowstone 


337 


a wolf  there),  the  buffalo  were  continually  prowling  about 
the  camp  at  night,  exciting  much  alarm  lest  they  should 
trample  on  the  boats  and  ruin  them.  In  those  days, 
buffalo  were  so  numerous  that  they  were  a nuisance  to 
travellers ; and  they  were  so  free  from  fear  of  man  that 
they  were  too  familiar  with  the  camps  and  equipage.  On 
the  first  of  August  we  find  this  entry  in  the  journal  of 
the  party : — 

“The  buffalo  now  appear  in  vast  numbers.  A herd 
happened  to  be  on  their  way  across  the  river.  Such  was 
the  multitude  of  these  animals  that,  though  the  river, 
including  an  island  over  which  they  passed,  was  a mile 
wide,  the  herd  stretched,  as  thickly  as  they  could  swim, 
from  one  side  to  the  other,  and  the  party  was  obliged  to 
stop  for  an  hour.  They  consoled  themselves  for  the 
delay  by  killing  four  of  the  herd;  and  then  having  pro- 
ceeded for  the  distance  of  forty-five  miles  [in  all  to-day]  to 
an  island,  below  which  two  other  herds  of  buffalo,  as  num- 
erous as  the  first,  soon  after  crossed  the  river.” 

Again,  on  the  very  next  day,  we  find  this  entry : — 

“ The  river  was  now  about  a mile  wide,  less  rapid,  and 
more  divided  by  islands,  and  bars  of  sand  and  mud,  than 
heretofore;  the  low  grounds,  too,  were  more  extensive, 
and  contained  a greater  quantity  of  cottonwood,  ash,  and 
willows.  On  the  northwest  was  a low,  level  plain,  and 
on  the  southeast  some  rugged  hills,  on  which  we  saw, 
without  being  able  to  approach  them,  some  bighorns. 
Buffalo  and  elk,  as  well  as  their  pursuers,  the  wolves, 
were  in  great  numbers.  On  each  side  of  the  river  there 
were  several  dry  beds  of  streams,  but  the  only  one  of  any 
considerable  size  was  one  to  which  they  gave  the  name 
of  Ibex  River,  on  the  right,  about  thirty  yards  wide,  and 
sixteen  miles  from  their  encampment  of  the  preceding 


338  First  Across  the  Continent 


night.  The  bear,  which  had  given  them  so  much  trouble 
at  the  head  of  the  Missouri,  they  found  equally  fierce 
here.  One  of  these  animals,  which  was  on  a sand-bar 
as  the  boat  passed,  raised  himself  on  his  hind  feet,  and 
after  looking  at  the  party  for  a moment,  plunged  in  and 
swam  towards  them ; but,  after  receiving  three  balls  in 
the  body,  he  turned  and  made  for  the  shore.  Towards 
evening  they  saw  another  enter  the  water  to  swim  across; 
when  Captain  Clark  directed  the  boat  towards  the  shore, 
and  just  as  the  animal  landed  shot  it  in  the  head.  It 
proved  to  be  the  largest  female  they  had  ever  seen,  and 
was  so  old  that  its  tusks  were  worn  quite  smooth.  The 
boats  escaped  with  difficulty  between  two  herds  of  buffalo 
that  were  crossing  the  river,  and  came  near  being  again 
detained  by  them.  Among  the  elk  of  this  neighbor- 
hood they  saw  an  unusual  number  of  males,  while  higher 
up  the  herds  consisted  chiefly  of  females.” 

It  is  almost  incredible  that  these  wild  animals  should 
have  been  so  nearly  exterminated  by  hunters  and  other 
rovers  of  the  plains,  very  soon  after  travel  set  in  across 
the  continent.  The  writer  of  these  lines,  who  crossed 
the  plains  to  California  so  lately  as  1856,  saw  buffalo 
killed  for  the  sake  of  their  tongues,  or  to  give  rifle  prac- 
tice to  the  wayfarers.  After  the  overland  railroad  was 
opened,  passengers  shot  buffalo  from  the  car-windows, 
well  knowing  that  they  could  not  get  their  game,  even 
if  they  should  kill  as  they  flew  by  a herd.  There  are 
no  buffalo  nor  elk  where  millions  once  roamed  almost 
unmolested. 

Early  in  the  afternoon  of  August  3,  the  party  reached 
the  junction  of  the  Yellowstone  and  the  Missouri,  and 
camped  on  the  same  spot  where  they  had  pitched  their 
tents  on  the  26th  of  April,  1805.  They  were  nearing  the 
end  of  their  long  journey. 


A Big  Horn  Pasturage 


Adventures  on  the  Yellowstone 


339 


But  their  troubles  thickened  as  they  drew  near  the 
close  of  their  many  miles  of  travel.  The  journal  for 
August  4 has  this  record : — 

“The  camp  became  absolutely  uninhabitable  in  conse- 
quence of  the  multitude  of  mosquitoes;  the  men  could 
not  work  in  preparing  skins  for  clothing,  nor  hunt  in 
the  timbered  low  grounds;  there  was  no  mode  of  escape, 
except  by  going  on  the  sand-bars  in  the  river,  where,  if 
the  wind  should  blow,  the  insects  do  not  venture;  but 
when  there  is  no  wind,  and  particularly  at  night,  when 
the  men  have  no  covering  except  their  worn-out  blankets, 
the  pain  they  suffer  is  scarcely  to  be  endured.  There 
was  also  a want  of  meat,  for  no  buffalo  were  to  be  found; 
and  though  elk  are  very  abundant,  yet  their  fat  and  flesh 
is  more  difficult  to  dry  in  the  sun,  and  is  also  much 
more  easily  spoiled  than  the  meat  or  fat  of  either  deer  or 
buffalo. 

“Captain  Clark  therefore  determined  to  go  on  to  some 
spot  which  should  be  free  from  mosquitoes  and  furnish 
more  game.  Having  written  a note  to  Captain  Lewis,  to 
inform  him  of  his  intention,  and  stuck  it  on  a pole  at  the 
confluence  of  the  two  rivers,  he  loaded  the  canoes  at  five 
in  the  afternoon,  proceeded  down  the  river  to  the  second 
point,  and  camped  on  a sand-bar;  but  here  the  mosqui- 
toes seemed  to  be  even  more  numerous  than  above.  The 
face  of  the  Indian  child  was  considerably  puffed  up  and 
swollen  with  their  bites;  the  men  could  procure  scarcely 
any  sleep  during  the  night,  and  the  insects  continued  to 
harass  them  next  morning,  as  they  proceeded.  On  one 
occasion  Captain  Clark  went  on  shore  and  ascended  a 
hill  after  one  of  the  bighorns ; but  the  mosquitoes  were 
in  such  multitudes  that  he  could  not  keep  them  from 
the  barrel  of  his  rifle  long  enough  to  take  aim.  About 


340 


First  Across  the  Continent 


ten  o’clock,  however,  a light  breeze  sprung  up  from  the 
northwest,  and  dispersed  them  in  some  degree.  Captain 
Clark  then  landed  on  a sand-bar,  intending  to  wait  for 
Captain  Lewis,  and  went  out  to  hunt.  But  not  finding 
any  buffalo,  he  again  proceeded  in  the  afternoon;  and 
having  killed  a large  white  bear,  camped  under  a high 
bluff  exposed  to  a light  breeze  from  the  southwest,  which 
blew  away  the  mosquitoes.  About  eleven  o’clock,  how- 
ever, the  wind  became  very  high  and  a storm  of  rain  came 
on,  which  lasted  for  two  hours,  accompanied  with  sharp 
lightning  and  loud  peals  of  thunder. 

“The  party  rose,  next  day,  very  wet,  and  proceeded  to  a 
sand-bar  below  the  entrance  of  Whiteearth  River.  Just 
above  this  place  the  Indians,  apparently  within  seven  or 
eight  days  past,  had  been  digging  a root  which  they 
employ  in  making  a kind  of  soup.  Having  fixed  their 
tents,  the  men  were  employed  in  dressing  skins  and 
hunting.  They  shot  a number  of  deer;  but  only  two  of 
them  were  fat,  owing  probably  to  the  great  quantities 
of  mosquitoes  which  annoy  them  while  feeding.” 

On  the  eleventh  of  August  the  Clark  party  came  up 
with  the  two  white  traders  from  Illinois,  of  whom  we 
have  already  made  mention  as  having  been  met  by  the 
Lewis  party  on  their  way  down  the  river.  These  were 
the  first  white  men  they  had  seen  (except  themselves) 
since  they  parted  with  the  three  French  trappers,  near 
the  Little  Missouri,  in  April,  1805.  From  them  the 
wayworn  voyagers  received  the  latest  news  from  the 
United  States.  From  them  they  also  had  some  unfavor- 
able tidings.  The  journal  says:  — 

“ These  men  had  met  the  boat  which  we  had  despatched 
from  Fort  Mandan,  on  board  of  which,  they  were  told, 
was  a Ricara  chief  on  his  way  to  Washington;  and  also 


Adventures  on  the  Yellowstone 


34i 


another  party  of  Yankton  chiefs,  accompanying  Mr. 
Durion  on  a visit  of  the  same  kind.  We  were  sorry  to 
learn  that  the  Mandans  and  Minnetarees  were  at  war 
with  the  Ricaras,  and  had  killed  two  of  them.  The 
Assiniboins  too  are  at  war  with  the  Mandans.  They 
have,  in  consequence,  prohibited  the  Northwestern  Com- 
pany from  trading  to  the  Missouri,  and  even  killed  two 
of  their  traders  near  Mouse  River;  they  are  now  lying 
in  wait  for  Mr.  McKenzie  of  the  Northwestern  Company, 
who  has  been  for  a long  time  among  the  Minnetarees. 
These  appearances  are  rather  unfavorable  to  our  project 
of  carrying  some  of  the  chiefs  to  the  United  States;  but 
we  still  hope  that,  by  effecting  a peace  between  the 
Mandans,  Minnetarees,  and  Ricaras,  the  views  of  our 
Government  may  be  accomplished.” 

Next  day,  August  12,  1806,  the  party,  slowly  descend- 
ing the  river,  were  overjoyed  to  see  below  them  the  little 
flotilla  of  Captain  Lewis  and  his  men.  But  they  were 
alarmed  when  they  discovered  that  Lewis  was  not  with 
them ; as  the  boats  landed  at  the  shore,  the  captain  was 
not  to  be  seen.  Captain  Clark’s  party,  on  coming  up 
with  their  friends,  were  told  that  Lewis  was  lying  in  the 
pirogue,  having  been  accidentally  wounded.  The  whole 
party  were  now  happily  reunited,  and  they  were  soon 
joined  by  the  two  Illinois  traders  whom  they  had  met  up 
the  river;  these  men  wished  to  accompany  the  expedition 
down  the  river  as  far  as  the  Mandan  nation,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  trading;  they  were  more  secure  with  a large  party 
of  white  men  than  they  would  be  if  left  to  themselves. 


Chapter  XXVI 

The  End  of  a Long  Journey 

THE  reunited  party  now  set  out  for  the  lower  river 
and  proceeded  rapidly  down-stream,  favored  with 
a good  wind.  They  made  eighty-six  miles  on  the  first 
day,  passing  the  mouth  of  the  Little  Missouri  early  in 
the  forenoon,  and  camping  at  Miry  River,  on  the  north- 
east side  of  the  Missouri.  On  the  second  day  they 
arrived  at  the  principal  village  of  the  Minnetarees,  where 
they  were  received  with  cordial  welcome  by  their  old 
friends.  The  explorers  fired  their  blunderbuss  several 
times  by  way  of  salute,  and  the  Indian  chiefs  expressed 
their  satisfaction  at  the  safe  return  of  the  white  men. 
One  of  the  Minnetaree  chiefs,  however,  wept  bitterly  at 
the  sight  of  the  whites,  and  it  was  explained  by  his 
friends  that  their  coming  reminded  him  of  the  death  of 
his  son,  who  had  been  lately  killed  by  the  Blackfoot 
Indians. 

Arriving  at  the  village  of  the  Mandans,  of  which  Black 
Cat  was  the  chief,  a council  was  called,  and  the  chiefs  of 
the  expedition  endeavored  to  persuade  some  of  the  lead- 
ing men  of  the  tribe  to  accompany  them  to  Washington 
to  see  “the  Great  Father.”  Black  Cat  expressed  his 
strong  desire  to  visit  the  United  States  and  see  the 
Great  Father,  but  he  was  afraid  of  the  Sioux,  their 
ancient  enemies,  through  whose  territory  they  must  pass 
on  their  way  down  to  the  white  man’s  country.  This 


The  End  of  a Long  Journey 


343 


chief,  it  will  be  recollected,  was  given  a flag  and  a medal 
by  the  two  captains  when  they  passed  up  the  river  on 
their  way  to  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  the  Pacific  coast. 
The  flag  was  now  brought  on  and  hoisted  on  the  lodge  of 
Black  Cat.  On  that  occasion,  also,  the  commanders  of 
the  expedition  had  given  the  Indians  a number  of  useful 
articles,  among  them  being  a portable  corn-mill.  But 
the  Indians  had  other  uses  for  metal,  and  they  had  taken 
the  mill  apart  and  used  the  iron  for  the  purpose  of  mak- 
ing barbs  for  their  arrows.  From  the  Omahas,  who  were 
located  here,  the  white  men  received  a present  of  as 
much  corn  as  three  men  could  carry.  Black  Cat  also 
gave  them  a dozen  bushels  of  corn. 

Their  days  of  starvation  and  famine  were  over.  They 
were  next  visited  by  Le  Borgne,  better  known  as  One- 
eye,  the  head  chief  of  all  the  Minnetarees,  to  whom 
Lewis  and  Clark  also  extended  an  invitation  to  go  to 
Washington  to  see  the  Great  Father.  The  journal 
says : — 

“ Le  Borgne  began  by  declaring  that  he  much  desired 
to  visit  his  Great  Father,  but  that  the  Sioux  would  cer- 
tainly kill  any  of  the  Mandans  who  should  attempt  to  go 
down  the  river.  They  were  bad  people,  and  would  not 
listen  to  any  advice.  When  he  saw  us  last,  we  had  told 
him  that  we  had  made  peace  with  all  the  nations  below; 
yet  the  Sioux  had  since  killed  eight  of  his  tribe,  and 
stolen  a number  of  their  horses.  The  Ricaras  too  had 
stolen  their  horses,  and  in  the  contest  his  people  had 
killed  two  of  the  Ricaras.  Yet  in  spite  of  these  disposi- 
tions he  had  always  had  his  ears  open  to  our  counsels, 
and  had  actually  made  a peace  with  the  Chayennes  and 
the  Indians  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  He  concluded  by 
saying,  that  however  disposed  they  were  to  visit  the 


344 


First  Across  the  Continent 


United  States,  the  fear  of  the  Sioux  would  prevent  them 
from  going  with  us.” 

The  truth  was  that  One-eye  had  no  notion  of  going  to 
Washington;  he  was  afraid  of  nobody,  and  his  plea  of 
possible  danger  among  the  Sioux  was  mere  nonsense  to 
deceive  the  white  men.  Captain  Clark  visited  the  vil- 
lage of  Black  Cat,  and  that  worthy  savage  made  the  same 
excuse  that  Le  Borgne  (One-eye)  had  already  put  forth; 
he  was  afraid  of  the  Sioux.  The  journal  adds:  — 

“Captain  Clark  then  spoke  to  the  chiefs  and  warriors 
of  the  village.  He  told  them  of  his  anxiety  that  some 
of  them  should  see  their  Great  Father,  hear  his  good 
words,  and  receive  his  gifts;  and  requested  them  to  fix 
on  some  confidential  chief  who  might  accompany  us. 
To  this  they  made  the  same  objections  as  before;  till  at 
length  a young  man  offered  to  go,  and  the  warriors  all 
assented  to  it.  But  the  character  of  this  man  was  known 
to  be  bad;  and  one  of  the  party  with  Captain  Clark 
informed  him  that  at  the  moment  he  [this  Indian]  had 
in  his  possession  a knife  which  he  had  stolen.  Captain 
Clark  therefore  told  the  chief  of  this  theft,  and  ordered 
the  knife  to  be  given  up.  This  was  done  with  a poor 
apology  for  having  it  in  his  possession,  and  Captain  Clark 
then  reproached  the  chiefs  for  wishing  to  send  such  a 
fellow  to  see  and  hear  so  distinguished  a person  as  their 
Great  Father.  They  all  hung  down  their  heads  for 
some  time,  till  Black  Cat  apologized  by  saying  that 
the  danger  was  such  that  they  were  afraid  of  sending  any 
one  of  their  chiefs,  as  they  considered  his  loss  almost 
inevitable.” 

Although  there  was  so  much  reluctance  on  the  part  of 
the  Indians  to  leave  their  roving  life,  even  for  a few 
months,  there  were  some  white  men  among  the  explorers 


The  End  of  a Long  Journey  345 


who  were  willing  to  give  up  their  home  in  “the  States.” 
The  journal  says : — 

“ In  the  evening  Colter  applied  to  us  for  permission  to 
join  the  two  trappers  who  had  accompanied  us,  and  who 
now  proposed  an  expedition  up  the  river,  in  which  they 
were  to  find  traps  and  to  give  him  a share  of  the  profits. 
The  offer  was  a very  advantageous  one;  and  as  he  had 
always  performed  his  duty,  and  his  services  could  be  dis- 
pensed with,  we  consented  to  his  going  upon  condition 
that  none  of  the  rest  were  to  ask  or  expect  a similar 
indulgence.  To  this  they  all  cheerfully  assented,  saying 
that  they  wished  Colter  every  success,  and  would  not 
apply  for  liberty  to  separate  before  we  reached  St.  Louis. 
We  therefore  supplied  him,  as  did  his  comrades  also, 
with  powder  and  lead,  and  a variety  of  articles  which 
might  be  useful  to  him,  and  he  left  us  the  next  day. 
The  example  of  this  man  shows  how  easily  men  may 
be  weaned  from  the  habits  of  civilized  life  to  the  ruder, 
though  scarcely  less  fascinating,  manners  of  the  woods. 
This  hunter  had  now  been  absent  for  many  years  from 
the  frontiers,  and  might  naturally  be  presumed  to  have 
some  anxiety,  or  at  least  curiosity,  to  return  to  his 
friends  and  his  country;  yet,  just  at  the  moment  when 
he  was  approaching  the  frontiers,  he  was  tempted  by  a 
hunting  scheme  to  give  up  all  those  delightful  prospects, 
and  to  go  back  without  the  least  reluctance  to  the  soli- 
tude of  the  wilds.” 

The  two  captains  learned  here  that  the  Minnetarees 
had  sent  out  a war-party  against  the  Shoshonees,  very 
soon  after  the  white  men’s  expedition  had  left  for  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  notwithstanding  their  promise  to  keep 
peace  with  the  surrounding  tribes.  They  had  also  sent 
a war-party  against  the  Ricaras,  two  of  whom  they  killed. 


346 


First  Across  the  Continent 


Accordingly,  the  white  chiefs  had  a powwow  with  the 
Indian  chiefs,  at  which  the  journal  says  these  incidents 
occurred : — 

“We  took  this  opportunity  of  endeavoring  to  engage 
Le  Borgne  in  our  interests  by  a present  of  the  swivel, 
which  is  no  longer  serviceable,  as  it  cannot  be  dis- 
charged from  our  largest  pirogue.  It  was  loaded ; and 
the  chiefs  being  formed  into  a circle  round  it,  Captain 
Clark  addressed  them  with  great  ceremony.  He  said 
that  he  had  listened  with  much  attention  to  what  had 
yesterday  been  declared  by  Le  Borgne,  whom  he  believed 
to  be  sincere,  and  then  reproached  them  with  their  dis- 
regard of  our  counsels,  and  their  wars  on  the  Shoshonees 
and  Ricaras.  Little  Cherry,  the  old  Minnetaree  chief, 
answered  that  they  had  long  stayed  at  home  and  listened 
to  our  advice,  but  at  last  went  to  war  against  the  Sioux 
because  their  horses  had  been  stolen  and  their  compan- 
ions killed ; and  that  in  an  expedition  against  those  peo- 
ple they  met  the  Ricaras,  who  were  on  their  way  to  strike 
them,  and  a battle  ensued.  But  in  future  he  said  they 
would  attend  to  our  words  and  live  at  peace.  Le  Borgne 
added  that  his  ears  would  always  be  open  to  the  words  of 
his  Good  Father,  and  shut  against  bad  counsel.  Captain 
Clark  then  presented  to  Le  Borgne  the  swivel,  which  he 
told  him  had  announced  the  words  of  his  Great  Father  to 
all  the  nations  we  had  seen,  and  which,  whenever  it  was 
fired,  should  recall  those  which  we  had  delivered  to  him. 
The  gun  was  discharged,  and  Le  Borgne  had  it  con- 
veyed in  great  pomp  to  his  village.  The  council  then 
adjourned.” 

After  much  diplomacy  and  underhand  scheming,  one 
of  the  Mandan  chiefs,  Big  White,  agreed  to  go  to  Wash- 
ington with  the  expedition.  But  none  of  the  Minne- 


The  End  of  a Long  Journey 


347 


tarees  could  be  prevailed  upon  to  leave  their  tribe,  even 
for  a journey  to  the  Great  Father,  of  whose  power  and 
might  so  much  had  been  told  them.  The  journal,  nar- 
rating this  fact,  says  further:  — 

“The  principal  chiefs  of  the  Minnetarees  now  came 
down  to  bid  us  farewell,  as  none  of  them  could  be  pre- 
vailed on  to  go  with  us.  This  circumstance  induced  our 
interpreter,  Chaboneau,  to  remain  here  with  his  wife  and 
child,  as  he  could  no  longer  be  of  use  to  us,  and,  although 
we  offered  to  take  him  with  us  to  the  United  States,  he 
declined,  saying  that  there  he  had  no  acquaintance,  and 
no  chance  of  making  a livelihood,  and  preferred  remain- 
ing among  the  Indians.  This  man  had  been  very  service- 
able to  us,  and  his  wife  was  particularly  useful  among 
the  Shoshonees : indeed,  she  had  borne  with  a patience 
truly  admirable  the  fatigues  of  so  long  a route,  encum- 
bered with  the  charge  of  an  infant,  who  was  then  only 
nineteen  months  old.  We  therefore  paid  him  his  wages, 
amounting  to  five  hundred  dollars  and  thirty-three  cents, 
including  the  price  of  a horse  and  a lodge  purchased  of 
him,  and  soon  afterward  dropped  down  to  the  village  of 
Big  White,  attended  on  shore  by  all  the  Indian  chiefs, 
who  had  come  to  take  leave  of  him. 

“We  found  him  surrounded  by  his  friends,  who  sat  in 
a circle  smoking,  while  the  women  were  crying.  He 
immediately  sent  his  wife  and  son,  with  their  baggage, 
on  board,  accompanied  by  the  interpreter  and  his  wife, 
and  two  children;  and  then,  after  distributing  among  his 
friends  some  powder  and  ball  which  we  had  given  him, 
and  smoking  a pipe,  he  went  with  us  to  the  river  side. 
The  whole  village  crowded  about  us,  and  many  of  the 
people  wept  aloud  at  the  departure  of  their  chief.” 
Once  more  embarked,  the  party  soon  reached  Fort 


34§ 


First  Across  the  Continent 


Mandan,  where  they  had  wintered  in  1804.  They  found 
very  little  of  their  old  stronghold  left  except  a few 
pickets  and  one  of  the  houses.  The  rest  had  been  de- 
stroyed by  an  accidental  fire.  Eighteen  miles  below, 
they  camped  near  an  old  Ricara  village,  and  next  day, 
as  they  were  about  to  resume  their  voyage,  a brother  of 
Big  White,  whose  camp  was  farther  inland,  came  run- 
ning down  to  the  beach  to  bid  Big  White  farewell.  The 
parting  of  the  two  brothers  was  very  affectionate,  and 
the  elder  gave  the  younger  a pair  of  leggings  as  a fare- 
well present.  The  Indian  chief  was  satisfied  with  his 
treatment  by  the  whites,  and  interested  himself  to  tell 
them  traditions  of  localities  which  they  passed.  August 
20  they  were  below  the  mouth  of  Cannon-ball  River, 
and  were  in  the  country  occupied  and  claimed  by  the 
Sioux.  Here,  if  anywhere,  they  must  be  prepared  for 
attacks  from  hostile  Indians.  At  this  point,  the  journal 
sets  forth  this  interesting  observation:  — 

“Since  we  passed  in  1804,  a very  obvious  change  has 
taken  place  in  the  current  and  appearance  of  the  Mis- 
souri. In  places  where  at  that  time  there  were  sand- 
bars, the  current  of  the  river  now  passes,  and  the  former 
channel  of  the  river  is  in  turn  a bank  of  sand.  Sand- 
bars then  naked  are  now  covered  with  willows  several 
feet  high;  the  entrance  of  some  of  the  creeks  and  rivers 
has  changed  in  consequence  of  the  quantity  of  mud 
thrown  into  them;  and  in  some  of  the  bottoms  are  layers 
of  mud  eight  inches  in  depth.” 

The  streams  that  flow  into  the  Missouri  and  Mississippi 
from  the  westward  are  notoriously  fickle  and  changeable. 
Within  a very  few  years,  some  of  them  have  changed 
their  course  so  that  farms  are  divided  into  two  parts,  or 
are  nearly  wiped  out  by  the  wandering  streams.  In  at 


The  End  of  a Long  Journey 


349 


least  one  instance,  artful  men  have  tried  to  steal  part  of 
a State  by  changing  the  boundary  line  along  the  bed 
of  the  river,  making  the  stream  flow  many  miles  across 
a tract  around  which  it  formerly  meandered.  On  this 
boundary  line  between  the  Sioux  and  their  upper  neigh- 
bors, the  party  met  a band  of  Cheyennes  and  another  of 
Ricaras,  or  Arikaras.  They  held  a palaver  with  these 
Indians  and  reproached  the  Ricara  chief,  who  was  called 
Gray-eyes,  with  having  engaged  in  hostilities  with  the 
Sioux,  notwithstanding  the  promises  made  when  the 
white  men  were  here  before.  To  this  Gray-eyes  made 
an  animated  reply : — 

“ He  declared  that  the  Ricaras  were  willing  to  follow 
the  counsels  we  had  given  them,  but  a few  of  their  bad 
young  men  would  not  live  in  peace,  but  had  joined  the 
Sioux  and  thus  embroiled  them  with  the  Mandans. 
These  young  men  had,  however,  been  driven  out  of  the 
villages,  and  as  the  Ricaras  were  now  separated  from 
the  Sioux,  who  were  a bad  people  and  the  cause  of  all 
their  misfortunes,  they  now  desired  to  be  at  peace  with 
the  Mandans,  and  would  receive  them  with  kindness  and 
friendship.  Several  of  the  chiefs,  he  said,  were  desirous 
of  visiting  their  Great  Father;  but  as  the  chief  who  went 
to  the  United  States  last  summer  had  not  returned,  and 
they  had  some  fears  for  his  safety,  on  account  of  the 
Sioux,  they  did  not  wish  to  leave  home  until  they  heard 
of  him.  With  regard  to  himself,  he  would  continue  with 
his  nation,  to  see  that  they  followed  our  advice. 

“After  smoking  for  some  time,  Captain  Clark  gave  a 
small  medal  to  the  Chayenne  chief,  and  explained  at  the 
same  time  the  meaning  of  it.  He  seemed  alarmed  at 
this  present,  and  sent  for  a robe  and  a quantity  of  buffalo- 


35° 


First  Across  the  Continent 


meat,  which  he  gave  to  Captain  Clark,  and  requested  him 
to  take  back  the  medal;  for  he  knew  that  all  white  people 
were  ‘medicine,’  and  was  afraid  of  the  medal,  or  of  any- 
thing else  which  the  white  people  gave  to  the  Indians. 
Captain  Clark  then  repeated  his  intention  in  giving  the 
medal,  which  was  the  medicine  his  great  father  had 
directed  him  to  deliver  to  all  chiefs  who  listened  to  his 
word  and  followed  his  counsels;  and  that  as  he  [the 
chief]  had  done  so,  the  medal  was  given  as  a proof  that 
we  believed  him  sincere.  He  now  appeared  satisfied  and 
received  the  medal,  in  return  for  which  he  gave  double 
the  quantity  of  buffalo-meat  he  had  offered  before.  He 
seemed  now  quite  reconciled  to  the  whites,  and  requested 
that  some  traders  might  be  sent  among  the  Chayennes, 
who  lived,  he  said,  in  a country  full  of  beaver,  but  did 
not  understand  well  how  to  catch  them,  and  were  dis- 
couraged from  it  by  having  no  sale  for  them  when  caught. 
Captain  Clark  promised  that  they  should  be  soon  sup- 
plied with  goods  and  taught  the  best  mode  of  catching 
beaver. 

“Big  White,  the  chief  of  the  Mandans,  now  addressed 
them  at  some  length,  explaining  the  pacific  intentions  of 
his  nation;  the  Chayennes  observed  that  both  the  Ricaras 
and  Mandans  seemed  to  be  in  fault ; but  at  the  end  of  the 
council  the  Mandan  chief  was  treated  with  great  civility, 
and  the  greatest  harmony  prevailed  among  them.  The 
great  chief,  however,  informed  us  that  none  of  the  Ricaras 
could  be  prevailed  on  to  go  with  us  till  the  return  of  the 
other  chief;  and  that  the  Chayennes  were  a wild  people, 
afraid  to  go.  He  invited  Captain  Clark  to  his  house, 
and  gave  him  two  carrots  of  tobacco,  two  beaver-skins, 
and  a trencher  of  boiled  corn  and  beans.  It  is  the  cus- 
tom of  all  the  nations  on  the  Missouri  to  offer  to  every 


The  End  of  a Long  Journey 


351 


white  man  food  and  refreshment  when  he  first  enters  their 
tents.” 

Resuming  their  voyage,  the  party  reached  Tyler’s 
River,  where  they  camped,  on  the  twenty-seventh  of 
August.  This  stream  is  now  known  as  Medicine  River, 
from  Medicine  Hill,  a conspicuous  landmark  rising  at  a 
little  distance  from  the  Missouri.  The  voyagers  were 
now  near  the  lower  portion  of  what  is  now  known  as 
South  Dakota,  and  they  camped  in  territory  embraced  in 
the  county  of  Presho.  Here  they  were  forced  to  send  out 
their  hunters ; their  stock  of  meat  was  nearly  exhausted. 
The  hunters  returned  empty-handed. 

“After  a hunt  of  three  hours  they  reported  that  no 
game  was  to  be  found  in  the  bottoms,  the  grass  having 
been  laid  flat  by  the  immense  number  of  buffaloes  which 
recently  passed  over  it;  and,  that  they  saw  only  a few 
buffalo  bulls,  which  they  did  not  kill,  as  they  were  quite 
unfit  for  use.  Near  this  place  we  observed,  however,  the 
first  signs  of  the  wild  turkey;  not  long  afterward  we 
landed  in  the  Big  Bend,  and  killed  a fine  fat  elk,  on 
which  we  feasted.  Toward  night  we  heard  the  bellowing 
of  buffalo  bulls  on  the  lower  island  of  the  Big  Bend. 
We  pursued  this  agreeable  sound,  and  after  killing  some 
of  the  cows,  camped  on  the  island,  forty-five  miles  from 
the  camp  of  last  night.” 

“Setting  out  at  ten  o’clock  the  next  morning,  at  a 
short  distance  they  passed  the  mouth  of  White  River, 
the  water  of  which  was  nearly  of  the  color  of  milk.  As 
they  were  much  occupied  with  hunting,  they  made  but 
twenty  miles.  The  buffalo,”  says  the  journal,  “were 
now  so  numerous,  that  from  an  eminence  we  discovered 
more  than  we  had  ever  seen  before  at  one  time;  and 


352 


First  Across  the  Continent 


though  it  was  impossible  accurately  to  calculate  their 
number,  they  darkened  the  whole  plain,  and  could  not 
have  been,  we  were  convinced,  less  than  twenty  thou- 
sand. With  regard  to  game  in  general,  we  have  observed 
that  wild  animals  are  usually  found  in  the  greatest  num- 
bers in  the  country  lying  between  two  nations  at  war.” 

They  were  now  well  into  the  Sioux  territory,  and  on 
the  thirtieth  of  August  they  had  an  encounter  with  a 
party  of  Indians.  About  twenty  persons  were  seen  on 
the  west  side  of  the  river,  proceeding  along  a height 
opposite  the  voyagers.  Just  as  these  were  observed, 
another  band,  numbering  eighty  or  ninety,  came  out  of 
the  woods  nearer  the  shore.  As  they  had  a hostile 
appearance,  the  party  in  the  canoes  made  preparations 
to  receive  them;  they  were  suspected  to  be  Teton-Sioux, 
although  they  might  be  Yanktons,  Pawnees,  or  Omahas. 
The  journal  adds:  — 

“ In  order,  however,  to  ascertain  who  they  were,  with- 
out risk  to  the  party,  Captain  Clark  crossed,  with  three 
persons  who  could  speak  different  Indian  languages,  to  a 
sand-bar  near  the  opposite  side,  in  hopes  of  conversing 
with  them.  Eight  young  men  soon  met  him  on  the 
sand-bar,  but  none  of  them  could  understand  either  the 
Pawnee  or  Maha  interpreter.  They  were  then  addressed 
in  the  Sioux  language,  and  answered  that  they  were 
Tetons,  of  the  band  headed  by  Black  Buffaloe,  Tahtack- 
asabah.  This  was  the  same  who  had  attempted  to  stop 
us  in  1804;  and  being  now  less  anxious  about  offending 
so  mischievous  a tribe,  Captain  Clark  told  them  that  they 
had  been  deaf  to  our  councils,  had  ill-treated  us  two 
years  ago,  and  had  abused  all  the  whites  who  had  since 
visited  them.  He  believed  them,  he  added,  to  be  bad 
people,  and  they  must  therefore  return  to  their  compan- 


Buffaloes  on  the  Plains 


The  End  of  a Long  Journey 


353 


ions ; for  if  they  crossed  over  to  our  camp  we  would  put 
them  to  death.  They  asked  for  some  corn,  which  Cap- 
tain Clark  refused;  they  then  requested  permission  to 
come  and  visit  our  camp,  but  he  ordered  them  back  to 
their  own  people.  He  then  returned,  and  all  our  arms 

were  prepared,  in  case  of  an  attack;  but  when  the  In- 

dians reached  their  comrades,  and  informed  their  chiefs 
of  our  intention,  they  all  set  out  on  their  way  to  their 
own  camp;  though  some  of  them  halted  on  a rising 
ground  and  abused  us  very  copiously,  threatening  to  kill 
us  if  we  came  across.  We  took  no  notice  of  this  for 

some  time,  till  the  return  of  three  of  our  hunters,  whom 

we  were  afraid  the  Indians  might  have  met.  But  as  soon 
as  they  joined  us  we  embarked;  and  to  see  what  the 
Indians  would  attempt,  steered  near  their  side  of  the 
river.  At  this  the  party  on  the  hill  seemed  agitated; 
some  set  out  for  their  camp,  others  walked  about,  and 
one  man  walked  toward  the  boats  and  invited  us  to  land. 
As  he  came  near,  we  recognized  him  to  be  the  same  who 
had  accompanied  us  for  two  days  in  1804,  and  was  con- 
sidered a friend  of  the  whites. 

“ Unwilling,  however,  to  have  any  intercourse  with 
these  people,  we  declined  his  invitation,  upon  which  he 
returned  to  the  hill,  and  struck  the  earth  three  times  with 
his  gun,  a great  oath  among  the  Indians,  who  consider 
swearing  by  the  earth  as  one  of  the  most  solemn  forms 
of  imprecation.  At  the  distance  of  six  miles  we  stopped 
on  a bleak  sand-bar,  where  we  thought  ourselves  secure 
from  any  attack  during  the  night,  and  also  safe  from  the 
mosquitoes.  We  had  made  but  twenty-two  miles,  but  in 
the  course  of  the  day  had  killed  a mule-deer,  an  animal 
we  were  very  anxious  to  obtain.  About  eleven  in  the 
evening  the  wind  shifted  to  the  northwest,  and  it  began 

23 


354 


First  Across  the  Continent 


to  rain,  accompanied  by  thunder  and  lightning,  after 
which  the  wind  changed  to  the  southwest,  and  blew  with 
such  violence  that  we  were  obliged  to  hold  fast  the 
canoes,  for  fear  of  their  being  driven  from  the  sand-bar: 
still,  the  cables  of  two  of  them  broke,  and  two  others 
were  blown  quite  across  the  river;  nor  was  it  till  two 
o’clock  that  the  whole  party  were  reassembled,  waiting 
in  the  rain  for  daylight.” 

The  party  now  began  to  meet  white  men  in  small  de- 
tachments coming  up  the  river.  On  the  third  of  Sep- 
tember, for  example,  they  met  the  first  men  who  were 
able  to  give  them  news  of  home.  This  party  was  com- 
manded by  a Mr.  James  Airs  (or  Ayres),  from  Mackinaw, 
by  the  way  of  Prairie  du  Chien  and  St.  Louis.  He  had 
two  canoes  loaded  with  merchandise  which  he  was  taking 
up  the  river  to  trade  with  the  Indians.  Among  the  items 
of  news  gathered  from  him,  according  to  the  private  jour- 
nal of  one  of  the  Lewis  and  Clark  party,  was  that  General 
James  Wilkinson  was  now  Governor  of  Louisiana  Ter- 
ritory, and  was  stationed  at  St.  Louis.  This  is  the 
Wilkinson  who  fought  in  the  American  Revolution,  and 
was  subsequently  to  this  time  accused  of  accepting 
bribes  from  Spain  and  of  complicity  with  Aaron  Burr 
in  his  treasonable  schemes.  Another  item  was  to  this 
effect:  “Mr.  Burr  & Genl.  Hambleton  fought  a Duel, 
the  latter  was  killed.”  This  brief  statement  refers  to  the 
unhappy  duel  between  Aaron  Burr  and  Alexander  Hamil- 
ton, at  Weehawken,  New  Jersey,  July  n,  1804.  This 
interesting  entry  shows  with  what  feelings  the  long- 
absent  explorers  met  Mr.  Airs  : — 

“After  so  long  an  interval,  the  sight  of  anyone  who 
could  give  us  information  of  our  country  was  peculiarly 
delightful,  and  much  of  the  night  was  spent  in  making 


The  End  of  a Long  Journey  3 55 


inquiries  into  what  had  occurred  during  our  absence. 
We  found  Mr.  Airs  a very  friendly  and  liberal  gentle- 
man ; when  we  proposed  to  him  to  purchase  a small  quan- 
tity of  tobacco,  to  be  paid  for  in  St.  Louis,  he  very 
readily  furnished  every  man  of  the  party  with  as  much  as 
he  could  use  during  the  rest  of  the  voyage,  and  insisted 
on  our  accepting  a barrel  of  flour.  This  last  we  found 
very  agreeable,  although  we  have  still  a little  flour  which 
we  had  deposited  at  the  mouth  of  Maria’s  River.  We 
could  give  in  return  only  about  six  bushels  of  corn,  which 
was  all  that  we  could  spare.” 

Three  days  later,  the  voyagers  met  a trading-boat  be- 
longing to  Mr.  Augustus  Chouteau,  the  founder  of  a famous 
trading-house  in  St.  Louis.  From  this  party  the  captains 
procured  a gallon  of  whiskey,  and  with  this  they  served  out 
a dram  to  each  of  their  men.  “ This,”  says  the  journal, 
“ is  the  first  spirituous  liquor  any  of  them  have  tasted  since 
the  Fourth  of  July,  1805.”  From  this  time  forward,  the 
returning  explorers  met  trading  parties  nearly  every  day; 
and  this  showed  that  trade  was  following  the  flag  far  up 
into  the  hitherto  unexplored  regions  of  the  American 
continent. 

The  explorers,  hungry  for  news  from  home,  would  have 
tarried  and  talked  longer  with  their  new-found  friends,  but 
they  were  anxious  to  get  down  to  civilization  once  more. 
Their  journal  also  says : “ The  Indians,  particularly  the 
squaws  and  children,  are  weary  of  the  long  journey,  and 
we  are  desirous  of  seeing  our  country  and  friends.”  This 
quotation  from  the  journal  gives  us  our  first  intimation  that 
any  Indians  accompanied  Big  White  to  the  United  States. 
He  appears  to  have  had  a small  retinue  of  followers  — 
men,  women,  and  children — with  him. 

Below  the  mouth  of  the  Platte,  September  12,  Lewis  and 


356 


First  Across  the  Continent 


Clark  met  Gravelines,  the  interpreter  who  was  sent  to 
Washington  from  Fort  Mandan,  in  1805,  with  despatches, 
natural  history  specimens,  and  a Ricara  chief.  The  chief 
had  unfortunately  died  in  Washington,  and  Gravelines  was 
now  on  his  way  to  the  Ricaras  with  a speech  from  Presi- 
dent Jefferson  and  the  presents  that  had  been  given  to  the 
chief.  He  also  had  instructions  to  teach  the  Ricaras  in 
agriculture. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  how  that  the  explorers,  now 
tolerably  well  acquainted  with  the  Indian  character  since 
their  long  experience  with  the  red  men,  had  adopted  a 
very  different  bearing  from  that  which  they  had  when 
coming  up  the  river,  in  1805.  Here  is  an  extract  from 
their  journal,  September  14:  — 

“ We  resumed  our  journey.  This  being  a part  of  the 
river  to  which  the  Kansas  resort,  in  order  to  rob  the  boats 
of  traders,  we  held  ourselves  in  readiness  to  fire  upon  any 
Indians  who  should  offer  us  the  slightest  indignity ; as  we 
no  longer  needed  their  friendship,  and  found  that  a tone 
of  firmness  and  decision  is  the  best  possible  method  of 
making  proper  impressions  on  these  freebooters.  How- 
ever, we  did  not  encounter  any  of  them ; but  just  below 
the  old  Kansas  village  met  three  trading-boats  from  St. 
Louis,  on  their  way  to  the  Yanktons  and  Mahas.” 

Thirty  miles  below  the  island  of  Little  Osage  village, 
the  party  met  Captain  McClellan,  formerly  of  the  United 
States  army.  He  informed  Captain  Lewis  that  the  party 
had  been  given  up  for  lost,  people  generally  believing  that 
they  would  never  again  be  heard  from ; but,  according  to 
the  journal  of  one  of  the  party,  “ The  President  of  the  U. 
States  yet  had  hopes  of  us.”  The  last  news  received  in 
“ the  U.  States  ” from  the  explorers  was  that  sent  from 
Fort  Mandan,  by  Gravelines,  in  1805. 


The  End  of  a Long  Journey 


357 


Scarcity  of  provisions  once  more  disturbed  the  party,  so 
that,  on  the  eighteenth  of  September,  the  journal  sets  forth 
the  fact  that  game  was  very  scarce  and  nothing  was  seen 
by  the  hunters  but  a bear  and  three  turkeys,  which  they 
were  unable  to  reach.  The  men,  however,  were  perfectly 
satisfied,  although  they  were  allowed  only  one  biscuit  per 
day.  An  abundance  of  pawpaws  growing  along  the  banks 
sufficed  as  nutritious  food.  The  pawpaw  is  native  to  many 
of  the  Western  States  of  the  Republic.  It  is  a fruit  three 
or  four  inches  long,  growing  on  a small  tree,  or  bush. 
The  fruit  is  sweet  and  juicy  and  has  several  bean-shaped 
seeds  embedded  in  the  pulp.  The  voyagers  now  began  to 
see  signs  of  civilization  on  the  banks  of  the  river.  Near 
the  mouth  of  the  Gasconade,  above  St.  Louis,  they  beheld 
cows  grazing  in  the  meadows.  The  journal  says:  “The 
whole  party  almost  involuntarily  raised  a shout  of  joy  at 
seeing  this  image  of  civilization  and  domestic  life.”  Men 
who  have  been  wandering  in  pathless  wildernesses,  remote 
from  man,  for  more  than  two  years,  might  well  be  moved 
by  the  sights  of  a homelike  farm  and  a settled  life.  Soon 
after  this  the  party  reached  the  little  French  village  of  La 
Charette  which  they  saluted  with  four  guns  and  three 
hearty  cheers.  Then,  according  to  the  journal,  they 
landed  and  were  warmly  received  by  the  people,  who  had 
long  since  abandoned  all  hope  of  ever  seeing  these  far- 
voyaging  adventurers  return.  Here  are  the  last  entries  in 
the  journal  that  has  been  our  guide  so  long  across  the 
continent  and  back  again  to  the  haunts  of  men : — 

“ Sunday , September  2 ist,  we  proceeded  ; and  as  several 
settlements  have  been  made  during  our  absence,  we  were 
refreshed  with  the  sight  of  men  and  cattle  along  the  banks. 
We  also  passed  twelve  canoes  of  Kickapoo  Indians,  going 
on  a hunting-excursion.  At  length,  after  coming  forty- 


358 


First  Across  the  Continent 


eight  miles,  we  saluted,  with  heartfelt  satisfaction,  the 
village  of  St.  Charles,  and  on  landing  were  treated  with 
the  greatest  hospitality  and  kindness  by  all  the  inhabi- 
tants of  that  place.  Their  civility  detained  us  till  ten 
o’clock  the  next  morning, 

“ September  22d>  when  the  rain  having  ceased,  we  set  out 
for  Coldwater  Creek,  about  three  miles  from  the  mouth  of 
the  Missouri,  where  we  found  a cantonment  of  troops 
of  the  United  States,  with  whom  we  passed  the  day;  and 
then, 

“ September  23d,  descended  to  the  Mississippi,  and  round 
to  St.  Louis,  where  we  arrived  at  twelve  o’clock;  and 
having  fired  a salute,  went  on  shore  and  received  the  hear- 
tiest and  most  hospitable  welcome  from  the  whole  village.” 

The  two  captains  were  very  busily  employed,  as  soon 
as  they  arrived  in  St.  Louis,  with  writing  letters  to  their 
friends  and  to  the  officers  of  the  government  who  were 
concerned  to  know  of  their  safe  return  to  civilization. 
Captain  Lewis’  letter  to  the  President  of  the  United 
States,  announcing  his  arrival,  was  dated  Sept.  23,  1806. 
President  Jefferson’s  reply  was  dated  October  20  of  that 
year.  In  his  letter  the  President  expressed  his  “ unspeak- 
able joy  ” at  the  safe  return  of  the  expedition.  He  said 
that  the  unknown  scenes  in  which  they  had  been  engaged 
and  the  length  of  time  during  which  no  tidings  had  been 
received  from  them  “ had  begun  to  be  felt  awfully.”  It 
may  seem  strange  to  modern  readers  familiar  with  the 
means  for  rapid  travel  and  communication  that  no  news 
from  the  explorers,  later  than  that  which  they  sent  from 
the  Mandan  country,  was  received  in  the  United  States 
until  their  return,  two  years  and  four  months  later.  But 
mail  facilities  were  very  scanty  in  those  far-off  days,  even 
in  the  settled  portions  of  the  Mississippi  Valley,  and  few 


The  End  of  a Long  Journey 


359 


traders  had  then  penetrated  to  those  portions  of  the  Lower 
Missouri  that  had  just  been  travelled  by  Lewis  and  Clark. 
As  we  have  seen,  white  men  were  regarded  with  awe  and 
curiosity  by  the  natives  of  the  regions  which  the  explorers 
traversed  in  their  long  absence.  The  first  post-office  in 
what  is  now  the  great  city  of  St  Louis  was  not  established 
until  1808;  mails  between  the  Atlantic  seaboard  and  that 
“ village  ” required  six  weeks  to  pass  either  way. 

The  two  captains  went  to  Washington  early  in  the  year 
following  their  arrival  in  St.  Louis.  There  is  extant  a 
letter  from  Captain  Lewis,  dated  at  Washington,  Feb. 
11,  1807.  Congress  was  then  in  session,  and,  agreeably 
to  the  promises  that  had  been  held  out  to  the  explorers, 
the  Secretary  of  War  (General  Henry  Dearborn),  secured 
from  that  body  the  passage  of  an  act  granting  to  each 
member  of  the  expedition  a considerable  tract  of  land 
from  the  public  domain.  To  each  private  and  non-com- 
missioned officer  was  given  three  hundred  acres ; to  Cap- 
tain Clark,  one  thousand  acres,  and  to  Captain  Lewis 
fifteen  hundred  acres.  In  addition  to  this,  the  two  officers 
were  given  double  pay  for  their  services  during  the  time 
of  their  absence.  Captain  Lewis  magnanimously  objected 
to  receiving  more  land  for  his  services  than  that  given  to 
Captain  Clark. 

Captain  Lewis  resigned  from  the  army,  March  2,  1807, 
having  been  nominated  to  be  Governor  of  Louisiana  Terri- 
tory a few  days  before.  His  commission  as  Governor  was 
dated  March  3 of  that  year.  He  was  thus  made  the  Gov- 
ernor of  all  the  territory  of  the  United  States  west  of  the 
Mississippi  River.  About  the  same  time,  Captain  Clark 
was  appointed  a general  of  the  territorial  militia  and  Indian 
agent  for  that  department. 

Originally,  the  territory  acquired  from  France  was 


36° 


First  Across  the  Continent 


divided  into  the  District  of  New  Orleans  and  the  District 
of  Louisiana,  the  first-named  being  the  lower  portion  of 
the  territory  and  bounded  on  the  north  by  a line  which 
now  represents  the  northern  boundary  of  the  State  of 
Louisiana;  and  all  above  that  line  was  known  as  the 
District  of  Louisiana.  In  1812,  the  upper  part,  or  Lou- 
isiana, was  named  the  Territory  of  Missouri,  and  Captain 
Clark  (otherwise  General),  was  appointed  Governor  of  the 
Territory,  July  I,  1813,  his  old  friend  and  comrade  having 
died  a few  years  earlier. 

The  end  of  Captain  (otherwise  Governor)  Lewis  was 
tragical  and  was  shadowed  by  a cloud.  Official  business 
calling  him  to  Washington,  he  left  St.  Louis  early  in  Sep- 
tember, 1809,  and  prosecuted  his  journey  eastward  through 
Tennessee,  by  the  way  of  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  now  Memphis, 
of  that  State.  There  is  a mystery  around  his  last  days.  On 
the  eleventh  of  October,  he  stopped  at  a wayside  log-inn, 
and  that  night  he  died  a violent  death,  whether  by  his  own 
hand  or  by  that  of  a murderer,  no  living  man  knows. 
There  were  many  contradictory  stories  about  the  sad 
affair,  some  persons  holding  to  the  one  theory  and  some 
to  the  other.  He  was  buried  where  he  died,  in  the  centre 
of  what  is  now  Lewis  County,  Tennessee.  In  1848,  the 
State  of  Tennessee  erected  over  the  last  resting-place  of 
Lewis  a handsome  monument,  the  inscriptions  on  which 
duly  set  forth  his  many  virtues  and  his  distinguished 
services  to  his  country. 

The  story  of  the  expedition  of  Lewis  and  Clark  is  the 
foundation  of  the  history  of  the  great  Northwest  and  the 
Missouri  Valley.  These  men  and  their  devoted  band  of 
followers  were  the  first  to  break  into  the  world-old  soli- 
tudes of  the  heart  of  the  continent  and  to  explore  the 
mountain  fastnesses  in  which  the  mighty  Columbia  has  its 


The  End  of  a Long  Journey  361 


birth.  Following  in  their  footsteps,  the  hardy  American 
emigrant,  trader,  adventurer,  and  home-seeker  penetrated 
the  wilderness,  and,  building  better  than  they  knew,  laid 
the  foundations  of  populous  and  thriving  States.  Peaceful 
farms  and  noble  cities,  towns  and  villages,  thrilling  with 
the  hum  of  modern  industry  and  activity,  are  spread  over 
the  vast  spaces  through  which  the  explorers  threaded  their 
toilsome  trail,  amid  incredible  privations  and  hardships, 
showing  the  way  westward  across  the  boundless  continent 
which  is  ours.  Let  the  names  of  those  two  men  long  be 
held  in  grateful  honor  by  the  American  people ! 


Index 


A 

Alkali,  natural  deposits  of,  60. 

Antelope,  first  seen,  29 ; how  hunted,  69. 
Assiniboins,  at  war  with  Sioux,  49. 

B 

Beaver,  hunted  as  game,  70. 

Beaver  Head,  143. 

Big  Dry  River,  75. 

Bismarck,  N.  D.,  44. 

Bitter  Root  Mountains,  147. 

Black  Cat,  a Mandan  chief,  342. 

Boone,  Daniel,  14. 

Buffalo,  first  signs  of,  16;  hunt,  51 ; curi- 
ous adventure  with,  87  ; extermination 
of,  338. 

C 

Caches,  how  built,  98. 

Calumet  bird,  43. 

Camas,  edible  root,  179. 

Cameahwait,  a Shoshonee  chief,  157. 
Camp,  first  winter,  48;  departure  from, 
57- 

Candle-fish,  252. 

Cannonball  River,  N.  D.,  43. 

Captain  Cook,  3. 

Captain  Gray,  3. 

Captain  Vancouver,  3. 

Carroll,  Mont.,  83. 

Carver,  Jonathan,  5. 

Cascades  of  the  Columbia,  262. 

Cathedral  Rocks,  90-92. 

Cheyenne  River,  40. 

Chinook  Indians,  208 ; some  account  of, 
246. 

Chouteau,  a St.  Louis  trader,  355. 
Christmas  (1804),  52;  (1805),  240. 


Clark,  Captain,  biographical  notice  of,  7; 
general  of  militia,  359. 

Clark’s  Fort,  48;  river,  180-183;  party 
overtaken  by  disaster,  142. 

Clatsop  Indians,  some  account  of,  248. 

Clearwater  River,  183. 

Cloudburst,  116. 

Columbia  River,  discovery  of,  4 ; portage 
to,  108;  at  the  headwaters  of,  148; 
at  the  entrance  to,  194;  great  falls  of, 
202;  the  great  chute  of,  215  et  seq. 

Comowol,  a Columbia  River  Indian  chief, 
239- 

Condor,  a California  variety,  256. 

Council  Bluffs,  19. 

Cowas,  an  edible  root,  278. 

Coyote,  described,  72. 

Crow  Indians,  24. 

D 

Dalles,  the,  266. 

Dearborn  River,  130. 

Divide,  on  the  great,  148  ; across  the,  179. 

Dog’s  flesh  as  an  article  of  food,  24,  185. 

E 

Echeloot  Indians,  210. 

Elk,  hunting  of,  251. 

Ermine,  first  seen,  49. 

Expedition,  Lewis  and  Clark’s,  7;  orga- 
nization of,  8 ; route  of,  10 ; sets  sail, 
14. 

“ Experiment,”  failure  of  the  boat,  124 

F 

Falls  of  the  Missouri,  101 ; description  of, 
hi  et  seq. 

Flathead  Indians,  211, 


364 


Index 


Floyd’s  River,  why  so  named,  23. 

Forks  of  the  Missouri,  135. 

Fort  Clark,  48 ; Clatsop,  255. 

G 

Gallatin’s  fork  of  the  Missouri,  135. 

Gates  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  132. 

Goose-nests  in  trees,  61. 

Gray,  Capt.,  discoverer  of  the  Columbia,  3. 

Grizzly  bear,  first  seen,  40 ; thrilling  en- 
counters with,  72,  76,  77,  105,  1 15,  315. 

H 

Horse-flesh  eaten  by  the  expedition,  177. 

Hungry  Creek,  178,  303. 

I 

Independence  Day,  celebration  of  (1805), 
123;  (1806),  327. 

Iowa  Indians,  16. 

Islands,  White  Bear,  no. 

J 

Jefferson,  President  Thomas,  2-4 ; his 
letters  to  Capt.  Lewis,  12  ; presents  to, 
from  Lewis  and  Clark,  55 ; welcome 
to  Capt.  Lewis  on  return,  358 ; name 
given  to  fork  of  the  Missouri,  135. 

John  Day’s  River,  203. 

K 

Klikitat  River,  214. 

Kooskooskee  River,  180. 

L 

Lewis,  Capt.,  biographical  notice  of,  6,  7; 
accidentally  wounded,  341;  announces 
his  return,  358  ; Governor  of  Louisiana 
Territory,  359;  his  tragical  death,  360. 

Lewis  and  Clark,  pursue  separate  routes 
across  the  Divide,  140;  also  on  their 
return,  310. 

Lewis’s  River,  165. 


Lewiston,  Idaho,  185. 

Ledyard,  John,  4. 

Lemhi  River,  152. 

Little  Devils,  hill  of,  23. 

Louisiana  Purchase,  the,  1-2  ; divided  into 
two  territories,  360. 


M 

Madison,  fork  of  the  Missouri,  135. 

Mandan  Indians,  46  et  seq.  ; religion  of, 
50. 

Maria’s  River,  97. 

Medicine  River,  106. 

Meriwether’s  Bay,  234. 

Milk  River,  74. 

Minnetarees,  at  war  with  Sioux,  49 ; ex- 
pedition has  an  encounter  with,  318  et 
seq. 

Missouri  River,  Little,  60. 

Missouri,  the  Upper,  80 ; great  falls  of, 
101 ; forks  of,  135  ; at  the  headwaters 
of,  147. 

Mosquitoes,  the  great  plague  of,  126,  339. 

Mount  St.  Helen’s,  198  ; Hood,  203. 

Mouse  River,  source  of,  60. 

Multnomah  (Willamette)  River,  221,  259. 

Musselshell  River,  81. 


N 

Nez  Perce  Indians  (Chopunnish),  180; 

some  account  of  the,  186. 

Noises,  mysterious,  122. 


O 

Osage  Indians,  traditions  of,  15. 
Ottoes,  council  with,  20. 

P 

Pacific  Ocean,  first  sight  of  the,  225. 
Pawpaw  fruit,  357. 

Pemmican,  33. 

Platte  River  as  a boundary,  17. 
Porcupine  River,  70. 

Prairie-dog,  29. 


Index 


3 65 


Q 

Quamash  flats,  302. 

Quicksand  River,  220. 

R 

Rat,  peculiar  variety  of,  121. 

Rickarees,  in  the  country  of  the,  40. 

River,  Little  Missouri,  60  ; Mouse,  source 
of,  60 ; Yellowstone,  65  ; Porcupine, 
70 ; Saskatchewan,  74 ; Milk,  74  ; Big 
Dry,  75  ; Upper  Missouri,  80  ; Mussel- 
shell, 81  ; Slaughter,  88  ; Maria’s,  97  j 
Madison,  106;  Columbia,  portage  to, 
108;  Smith’s,  129;  Dearborn,  130; 
Salmon,  152;  Lemhi,  152;  Lewis’s, 
165  ; Kooskooskee,  180  ; Clark’s,  180  ; 
Clearwater,  183  ; Snake,  188  ; Yakima, 
196  ; John  Day’s,  203 ; Klikitat,  214  ; 
Quicksand,  220  ; Multnomah,  220. 

Rocky  Mountains,  first  sight  of,  85  ; sheep, 
85;  gates  of  the,  132;  farewell  to  the 
mountains,  335. 

Rocks,  Cathedral,  90-92. 

S 

St.  Louis,  village  of,  1 1 ; first  post-office 

359- 

Sacajawea,  joins  the  expedition,  48  ; 
stream  named  for  her,  82  ; story  of  her 
capture,  138;  finds  her  own  people, 
160 ; a tribute  to  her  memory,  332. 

Sage-brush,  first  seen,  62. 

Saline  County,  Mo.,  16. 

Salmon  River,  152;  City,  Idaho,  165; 
abundance  of  fish,  194. 

Salt,  made  from  sea-water,  235  et  seq . 

Saskatchewan  River,  74. 

Shannon,  the  lost  hunter,  143. 

Shoshonees,  first  meeting  with,  145  ; 
among  the,  150  et  seq. ; some  account 
of  the,  1 71  et  seq. 

Sioux  Indians,  27. 

Slaughter  River,  88. 

Smith’s  River,  128. 


Snake  River,  188;  junction  of  the  with 
Columbia,  190. 

Sokulk  Indians,  some  account  of,  191  et 
seq. 

Spirit  Mound,  24. 

Spring  River,  S.  D.,  42. 

Stone-Idol  Creek,  legend  of,  42. 

Sweat  baths,  Indian,  187,  298. 

T 

Tetons,  in  the  country  of,  33-38. 
Three-thousand-mile  Island,  331. 
Tillamook  Indians,  244. 

Traveller’s-rest  Creek,  309. 

Twisted-hair,  an  Indian  chief,  adventures 
with,  282  et  seq. 

U 

Umatilla,  271. 

V 

Vancouver,  Capt.,  3. 

W 

Wahkiacum  Indians,  224. 

Walla  Walla,  271. 

Wappatoo,  edible  root,  230  ; description 
of,  260. 

Weocksockwillacums,  265. 

Wharfington,  commands  return  party  to 
the  U.  S.,  58. 

White  Bear  Islands,  no  ; camp  at,  114. 
Whisky,  Indian  rejection  of,  42. 

Winter  camp,  first,  48  ; departure  from, 

57- 

Y 

Yakima  River,  196. 

Yankton,  S.  D.,  24. 

Yellowstone  River,  65  ; Capt.  Clark’s  de- 
scent of  the,  327. 

York,  a negro  servant,  41,  159. 


, 


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